We like round numbers in our sports, and Kobe Bryant left the NBA with a remarkable one. (Not the 50 shots, but that was fun, too!) I’m talking about something that every fan of every NBA team envies -- a milestone Kobe is the first to achieve, even if it will likely be matched soon.
Kobe Bryant gave Lakers fans the unprecedented gift of 20 years in one city
Player | Team | Seasons |
Kobe Bryant | Lakers | 20!!! |
John Stockton | Jazz | 19 |
Tim Duncan | Spurs | 19 |
Reggie Miller | Pacers | 18 |
Dirk Nowitzki | Mavericks | 18 |
John Havliceck | Celtics | 16 |
Dolph Schayes | Nationals-76ers | 15 |
Hal Greer | Nationals-76ers | 15 |
Tony Parker | Spurs | 15 |
Twenty years, all with the same team. The first to ever do it. And thus we dub this achievement “The Kobe.”
You could argue guys below Bryant on that list have accomplished more. John Stockton played damn near every game in his 19 years with Utah -- over 150 more games than Kobe. Tim Duncan, who can achieve a Kobe of his own next season, came this far in San Antonio with just as many rings and much less drama, and without a single losing year or missed postseason. Dirk Nowitzki is two years away from a Kobe, and he’s taken pay cuts to help keep the Mavericks competitive, even as his game’s waned little.
But maybe that’s exactly why Kobe’s milestone is so impressive. The Lakers sucked a couple times in those 20 years. Numerous teammates, from ends of the bench all the way up to Shaq, drew his ire. Coaches came and went. His own game deteriorated. And, you know, he was the subject of a lengthy rape investigation.
Through all that, Kobe never left Los Angeles, though he definitely tried to do so. He takes a lot of pride in not bailing and made a point of it in his postgame speech:
“I’m more proud of the fact that -- not about the championships but about the down years. Because we didn’t run. We didn’t run. We played through all that stuff. We got our championships, and we did it the right way.”
As a fan of the NBA at large, this matters little to me. There is no moral value in sticking it out with one franchise vs. signing with a contender at the end vs. accepting a trade to help your team get assets vs. bouncing around the league like a beachball at a Nickelback concert. Do whatever pleases you, NBA star.
But as a diehard fan of one team, I am envious. This is what I dream of for the Knicks, and it’s something few NBA fans have experienced. One of fandom’s best feelings is the arrival of an organic star -- the guy your team scouted, drafted, developed and extended. That guy might say he wants to be a “[your team’s nickname] for life,” but that almost never pans out. And I assure you, it’s not the same sort of goodbye when a player spends his twilight elsewhere, even if most of the narrative felt like it belonged to your fan base. The home fans bidding farewell to Michael Jordan in a Wizards jersey, Karl Malone in a Lakers jersey, or Patrick Ewing in a Magic jersey did not get to feel like Lakers fans did Wednesday night.
NBA history will someday feature multiple 20-year, single-team players. Dirk and Duncan could be there soon, and perhaps more Spurs will follow. Warriors and Thunder fans dream of their superstars getting this kind of sendoff someday, and I’m already doing the same for Kristaps Porzingis in New York.
More players will achieve The Kobe, and more fans will get to experience the rare, bittersweet pangs of its conclusion. But Kobe himself will always be the first and perhaps the most complicated star to hit that round number, and Laker fans the first to go along for the ride.
* * *
Be sure to subscribe to SB Nation’s YouTube channel for highlight videos, features, analysis and more
See More:
