Lakers P.S.: Kobe Reveals That This One Did Matter, Won’t Have to Hear ‘Idiotic Criticism’

Please, if you haven’t already, read my ↵metaphysical reckoning of the Lakers’ title. It’s about history, and ontology, and what makes a title a title, and how on some level sports is in thrall to facts, because if it weren’t, the whole world would come crashing down. And that’s why baseball’s so screwed.↵
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↵But as a postscript, I thought it would be nice to get in at least one remotely candid quote from Kobe about he feels now. Not the “this is so important” pap of the postgame ceremony, even if you could see that little-kid exuberance peeking through in the corners of his expression. So here, for the benefit of those who think Kobe is a robot built by the Soviets, here’s some real heartstring-yanking verbiage, from the Los Angeles Times:↵↵⇥“I don’t have to hear that idiotic criticism anymore,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. I don’t have to hear that stuff anymore. I can’t believe this moment is here. They won’t see us as losers. L.A. is brutal, man. Now when I go to Disney World and Disneyland, I can enjoy the moment. I don’t have to answer questions about, ‘What the hell happened to you guys?’ ”↵↵Feel free to fire away with accusations of corporate plugs, gratuitous allusions to family, and too much forced team-speak. But at the bottom of this is a guy who is sick of not being able to meet the public gaze without facing questions. Questions that ultimately aim to either tear him down or mask him in a fog of doubt. Kobe Bryant’s legacy is straight now, but perhaps more important, his life just got a whole lot less angst-ridden.
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