Kobe Bryant: The Ultimate NBA Villain

By Joshua Howe | Dec 2, 2015

Dec 1, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) waves goodbye to fans at Wells Fargo Center after a game against the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers won 103-91. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Kobe Bryant’s time has passed, and we’ll never see another quite like him.

“An excellent man, like precious metal, is in every way invariable; a villain, like the beams of a balance, is always varying, upwards and downwards.” – John Locke

I know as writers and media we’re supposed to remain objective. But I hope that this once, with the confirmed retirement of one of the greatest players of all-time, you can forgive me.

I’m still a young-un’. I started really noticing and keeping track of basketball-related things the same year LeBron James was drafted straight out of high school. By then, Kobe Bean Bryant was already in his eighth year (and 25 years old) as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Perhaps because of my age, perhaps because of my love for his style of play or perhaps because of a mixture of these things, I fell in love with watching LeBron. Very quickly he became my favorite player. As a sensitive person, I felt every loss he took and, as basketball became a more prominent topic of discussion as I aged, felt anger arise from criticism aimed his way.

So despite the fact that we never got a LeBron versus Kobe Finals (wouldn’t that have been something?), the battle raged on in everyday, barbershop-style discussion. There was a guy I met in high school who was a huge Bryant fan. We both loved basketball, but clashed because of our favorite players.

“LeBron is all hype. He hasn’t won even a single ring yet! Kobe’s already got three and he’s gonna get another one this year!”

“Pft, yeah, whatever. Three rings with another superstar and good teams. Who does LeBron have? Answer me that one!”

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This was in 2009. I was in grade nine. Of course, the guy (who I did become friends with), was right about Kobe winning that year. But even before things reached that point, personal turmoil ran rampant for me on a nightly basis by the killer accomplishments of the Black Mamba in his prime.

I would watch games and cringe as Kobe lit up team after team. He hit game-winner after game-winner; came up clutch on big plays; won the season series against my beloved King James that year 2-0 (despite some poor shooting performances).

Then I’d go to school the next day dreading the interaction with anyone who knew anything about basketball (or who knew saying something negative about LeBron or positive about Kobe would get on my nerves). Because of Bryant’s greatness, of course, this led to this feeling being stamped on my heart many times as I walked through my school’s doors.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise then, that I became a spirited and outspoken Kobe hater. I wanted that guy to lose, lose, lose. I never wanted him to win again.

In Game 7 of the 2010 Finals, when Kobe was trying to go for back-to-back titles, I cheered whole heartedly for the Boston Celtics, which, as you know if you’re a LeBron fan, is mind-bogglingly surreal.

But cheer for them I did, and when Boston blew their lead in the fourth (Los Angeles outscored them 30-22 in that final quarter) and Kobe willed his Lakers to another championship (11 of his 23 points came in the last 12 minutes) it took all I had not to rip my hair out.

I knew the next day of school would be unbearable.

For years, Kobe tormented me. Even outside of his actual dealings on the court. His hardcore supporters can be some of the most obnoxious people you’ll ever meet. Instead of engaging in an enlightening conversation about the sport of basketball, as soon as Kobe’s name is brought up they’ll hold up five fingers and shrug.

That still bothers me to this day. Basketball is a team sport, dammit!

All of that said, as I got older and began to mature myself, I started to realize something about Bryant as I watched him play the sport he loves: he’s fun.

What the hell? He’s fun?! Why? Why would I think that? After all the pain and taunting he’d brought upon me? How could I possibly be enjoying him?

And then it dawned upon me, suddenly obvious as I’m sure it always was: every story needs a great villain. That’s what Kobe was for me, from my outside perspective of watching the NBA and loving the players within it. For me, he was the ultimate villain. He was the boss on the final level. He was the guy with five rings, all the swagger and the make-or-break mentality.

He didn’t care what people thought of him. He was going to win and that’s all he cared about. He was going to show the world, whether you loved him or despised him, that he was the top dog. He always had a chip on his shoulder – the hate fueled him – and to this day I think that remains true.

After 2010, Kobe never won another title. He never got back to The Finals.

I basked in the glory of ensuing years, which saw LeBron win back-to-back titles and shed the criticism of being the greatest player to never win a ring. I reveled more than anyone in the detonation of the 2012-13 Lakers (and am still glad David Stern vetoed the Chris Paul deal), with the Kobe, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash experiment coming up empty.

And it’s only been in recent months that I’ve realized how much I truly love watching Kobe play, and how much fun it’s been to see him as the villain. When he only played six games in 2013-14 following his Achilles tear, I missed him terribly.

Suddenly, there wasn’t a villain anymore. Nobody stepped up to claim the role. The league seemed oddly devoid of masterful defiance on a grand scale.

No one can be Kobe. No one can be the Mamba. Never again. That hole left by his departure will always remain, but that’s not so terrible. It’s a reminder. A black hole constantly churning and taking up space in my mind to remind me that Kobe Bryant was great. All-time great.

This season has been, admittedly, tough to watch. I’ve been avoiding viewing the Lakers for obvious reasons, but couldn’t do so when they were set to face Golden State. Perhaps the streak was finally coming to an end?!

What sold me more than anything was the news that Kobe had gotten to the arena and started putting up shots three hours prior to tip-off.

That was the kind of thing I was used to hearing. That was Kobe. That was the guy who, when you heard that news, made a shiver run down your spine. Three hours early? He’s going for 50 – no, 60!

And then what happened happened. Father Time is still undefeated. The Bryant we’ve seen this season is no longer the Black Mamba. He’s no longer the guy who injects fear into your heart by only needing a single bucket to heat up against your team.

Now he’s just Kobe Bryant, and he’s old, and his basketball ability is waning.

It’s over.

Some people will remember Kobe for his 81 against Toronto, or his championship runs with Shaquille O’Neal, or his eerily reminiscent game to His Airness.

I’ll remember Kobe for being the greatest NBA villain of all-time. I’ll never love to hate a player as much as I did him.

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Thank you for your career, Bean. Enjoy retirement. As one of your long-time haters, I’ll miss you.

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