Two Worthwhile Reads

Here's a really fabulous and interesting article about the evolutionary relationship between celebrities and the Lakers and how it got built. It's actually really cool and definitely worth a read.

This is also a great look at Kobe's staying power on top of the NBA, with some great quotes from the man himself. A good read as well; I love J.A. Adande! Here are a couple excerpts that I liked in particular:

- The first step toward entering the historical context is winning the contemporary battles, over and over again. Jordan once told me that Bryant is "a lot like myself as far as separating himself -- the way I wanted to separate myself from Clyde Drexler and everybody else."

- LeBron has emerged lately as a better player, but Kobe is the one racking up the rings. There's a subtle difference: LeBron has an aversion to losing, while Kobe has a need to win. I've seen plenty of games in which LeBron could have let his team pack it in for the night yet he refused and prevailed. He'd rather not lose. Bryant would give up a vital organ to win. As incredible as LeBron has been, we still want to see more -- more aggressiveness toward the hoop, more low-post moves, more championships. ---> this is always what i'm trying (and usually failing) to explain to people!

- This was going to be a story about how Kobe has changed since 2004, but he blew that up, too. "I'm the same way," he said. He's still shoot-first. Even though Bryant has his deepest team since he was handed the reins in 2004, even though Phil Jackson is restricting Bryant's playing time to keep him fresher for the playoffs, Kobe's rate of 20 shots per 36 minutes is as high as usual. His style is the same, only now his opinion carries more weight since he's an elder member of the team. "I say these things to them, they're open to listening, as opposed to saying them to guys who are 10 years older," Kobe said. ----> I love this because it's true; it is a fault of his and the first thing people point out in an argument to me, but at least he recognizes it and can tailor his game around it.