Bryant Enters 13th NBA Season With Questionable Legacy

CLEVELAND - Kobe Bryant, a basketball prodigy when he joined the NBA straight out of high school and a highly criticized star for years, begins his 13th pro campaign when the 63rd NBA season tips off tonight.

And his place in the sport's history has never been more ambiguous.

Bryant was, like many gifted basketball players of the past 20 years or so, saddled with the moniker of "the next Michael Jordan" since very early in his evolution, but has had a rocky road towards those impossible expectations.

He joined the L.A. Lakers in 1996 and was viewed as a project with a lot of potential. At the time, Jordan himself was nearly 34 years old and coming off his 4th championship with the Chicago Bulls.

Bryant, then 18 had a huge advantage. He joined a highly talented team that featured stars Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel and a new addition; a 24-year old Shaquille O'Neal. All of this meant that Bryant could sit, watch and learn the game without being counted on to carry the entire franchise like Jordan had been expected to do a decade before.

Bryant averaged less than eight points per game as a rookie but by his third season, he was scoring about 20 a night. He had also become an all-star. Bryant's fourth season was O'Neal's best as a pro as he earned MVP honors and led the Lakers to their first NBA crown in a dozen years.

This is where Bryant's disdain for Shaq became obvious.

As Kobe's talents grew, so did his uncoachability and insolence. The Lakers won three consecutive titles but was wrought with turmoil from within. After failing for the second year in a row to claim another title in 2004, O'Neal was exiled to Miami and Kobe was left to steer the Lakers, a supposed dream come true.

The Bryant-led Lakers tanked for three consecutive seasons despite Kobe becoming a relentless offensive force. He topped out at an unreal 81 points in a January 2006 game en route to a career best 35.4 ppg on the season. The poor showing of the Lakers prompted Kobe to become disenchanted with the direction of the organization and demand a trade prior to last season.

He didn't get it.

Out of nowhere, the team did better than expected and by June '08, Bryant had earned his first ever MVP trophy and the Lakers were favored by many to beat the Boston Celtics in the Finals.

The Lakers got creamed.

Bryant's singular brilliance was nullified by Celtics star Paul Pierce's defense and the team went down in flames. This past summer, Bryant turned 30 years old and won an Olympic gold medal. When L.A. won the title in 2002, Kobe was 23 and had been a part of three championship teams. Most assumed he'd dominate for another decade, winning titles left and right and surpass Jordan's six championship trophies long before age 35, when Michael won his last one.

When Jordan was 30, he had just won his third. Bryant hasn't won one in six years. Jordan's 13th season was Kobe's 2nd. Michael had 4 titles going into year 13. The biggest difference between MJ and Kobe is their roles in their respective teams titles. Jordan was the unquestionable leader of the Bulls title teams. Bryant was second fiddle to the uber dominant O'Neal, who during the team's first title season (1999-00) averaged a sick 30 points and 14 rebounds!

It is often said that Jordan had more help around him than Bryant. I think that is revisionist history. While it is true that Chicago was well-rounded, they were far from star studded. Besides Jordan and Scottie Pippen, everyone else was little more than a specialty player with one discernible talent. Bryant has played with an assortment of markedly better players while being coached by the same guy that coached Chicago's six titles; Phil Jackson.

Bryant only started playing team basketball two season ago. Jordan was far more willing, though just as stubborn early in his career to do so (in MJ's case, he had little choice but to go it alone at times).

Without question, Bryant is a sensational basketball player. His drive augments his talents just as Jordan's did. The $64,000 question here is simple: Is Kobe Bryant capable of leading a team, as its top star to a title. So far, the answer has been "no way."

The Lakers open tonight against Portland. This is the first step towards answering that question.