Kobe used to get up a lot more often a number 8, but number 24 is just as cold-blooded and motivated. By Cpl. Megan Stiner [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

I think he looks like a horse more than a black mamba.

And I still side with Shaq.

Quietly the man who is arguably the greatest Laker of all time (I still believe that title belongs to Magic, Kareem and Shaq) surpassed 30,000 points on December the 6th. And nobody paraded.

It was the first time ever Laker fans didn’t go over-the-top to applaud the poster-boy for one of his many accomplishments. Perhaps it has something to do with the Lakers’ slow start and the startling fact that this year’s team is just 1-10 when Bryant scores more than 30 points in a game?

30,000 times a point has been tallied in one man’s name. His record speaks for itself — Bryant has been through more than most over his 17 years in the NBA.

Below are five important moments in the Hooved – Mamba’s career.

Whether it was deserved, Kobe was the youngest player to ever play in an NBA All Star game. A feat that featured just how mega popular the then number 8 was becoming.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=53QwPeImmAA

The ego that has made the man a 5 time champion is the same ego that has plagued him his entire career. Despite earlier speculation that the Jordan/Bryant debate was drummed up by the media, Bryant in this clip, proves that notion wrong.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufSvlU3MoSY

Fans will find any reason to think the star of their choice is superhuman. I had arguments over and over regarding this ridiculous clip. The amount of believers was frightening.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIWeEFV59d4

81-points in a single game ranks 2nd all-time.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeXZY4eVLlo

It’s hard to describe this moment. 58-seconds into the clip, Kobe arrogantly says “I got one more than Shaq.” Really? 7-years later, and the man is still that bitter?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BcRBtvxlCs

We differed in our opinions. Some of us thought he’d land in LA LA, to stake his claim to an acting career and play the Superman savior role for the dwindling career of Kobe Bryant. Others of us thought he would go to the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, or even stay with the Orlando Magic. I hoped he’d flounder in a miracle sign-and-trade to the New Orleans Hornets or Charlotte Bobcats. And I’ll tell you why.

For one: I didn’t really care. I was more interested in the winding down of the NFL.

For two: I was anticipating the return of baseball and salivating over an Albert Pujols’ new beginning with my beloved Angels.

For three: I was gearing up for the NBA playoffs, that so far have been brilliant with the performances of Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

A sign-and-trade to one of the above two teams made for good news and even better conversations. Can you imagine swinging a club with a few cronies, drinking beer, talking about Dwight Howard in a Bobcat uniform?

“Billy did you see where Howard went to?”

“Nope.”

“The Charlotte Bobcats, dude.”

“The who?”

“The Bobcats, they started from scratch when the Hornets moved.”

“Never heard of em.’ You gonna swing or not?”

The irony behind that trade would have made sense to every one of us who resent Howard for one ridiculous reason: He stole the “Superman” name from Shaquille O’Neal and hadn’t the decency to think of anything else. Just because he jumped nine inches in a superman cape to win a dunk contest, doesn’t mean he can stake claim to a mantle only real superstars can carry.

What has Howard ever won? A dunk contest. Oh, and Defensive Player of the Year, a rebound title and I’m sure, somewhere someplace, a body building competition. But besides that? Best Smile his senior year in high school?

Look, I’m not denying the man is gifted with incredible height and an athletic intangible to go along with it. But Howard has never and never will be, a franchise player. He will always be the raw inefficient offensive player who needs three other scorers to make him relevant.

Case in point: 2009. Howard and the Magic propelled passed LeBron James and the Cavs en route to their first Finals appearance since Penny and Shaq in 1996. They were manhandled by a superior Laker team in five games, a series during which Howard never scored more than 21 points and shot just 39% from the floor. Instead of Howard, it was Hedo Turkoglu who made a name for himself in the previous series against the Cavs, leading the team in scoring and hitting clutch jump shot, one after another, in the closing minutes of the fourth quarters.

Dwight Howard has been lucky enough to be a big partly skilled man in a moment in NBA History so parched for big men it makes Ron Jeramy’s addiction to sex look geriatric. In fact, Howard hasn’t, technically, been the best big of his generation.

Had not, Yao Ming broken a femur every time he stepped forward, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. We would be discussing the monumental career of Yao Ming, the man who bridged the basketball gap between two hemispheres. Instead we all know the unfortunate end to Yao Ming. A stoic soul with a keen, sensible, personality, and a meek humility, not to mention a 15-foot bank shot better than most guards and the body of a giant. It ended prematurely short, as all good people do, according to Bill Joel.

But Howard on the other hand, has had a relatively painless career. Until this year, Howard had played in 90% of his games. This is the only dividing factor critics use in discussing another big of his generation, Andrew Bynum, who like Yao, has been brushed off with injury woes. This year Bynum played an injury free year and equaled Howard in most categories (considering he shared rebounds and points with two other stars: Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol).

2011-2012 season

Andrew Bynum             Dwight Howard

Games Played: 60              Games Played: 54

Points: 18.7                          Points: 20.6

Rebounds: 11.8                   Rebounds: 14.5

Blocks: 1.9                             Blocks: 2.1

Field Goal %: 55.8              Field Goal %: 57.3

Free Throw %: 69.2           Free Throw %: 49.1

MPG: 35.2                             MPG: 38.3

When I originally heard the Lakers wouldn’t part with Bynum for Howard, I though they were absolutely crazy (And they still might be)! Bynum was a spoiled-brat, pampered by Laker ownership since he entered the league as an unproven and awkwardly lanky nonathletic 18-year old. He’s been injured often and shown little to any drive at using his god-gifted frame. Howard was the proven somewhat likable and consistent veteran. And then this year happened and my philosophy went to horse manure.

Howard flaunted his egotism all year with a round about approach to answering one god damned question: Dwight, would you like to be in Orlando or not? And while his teammates concocted a decent year swirled with media malaise, Howard embarrassed his coach in live interviews and bowed out early with what some critics describe as a makeshift snot nosed injury.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzORXMDvJzQ

Dwight, clearly, is not Shquille O’Neal. Shoot! He isn’t even the quiet gamer Al Jefferson is. I am beginning to think Bynum has more upside because of his offensive skill set and now for certain, Yao Ming with a dose of good health would trump him in ever major statistical category. You just can’t like a guy who flaunts himself around like a two-dollar hooker in a mismatched set of heels.

Howard fooled us all into thinking he was the funny charismatic star with a humbled determination to make his teammates better. Howard can’t even make himself better.

He shoots free throws wore, yes WORSE than Shaquille O’Neal.

He is outspoken a’ la bridal-gowned Dennis Rodman.

He is a quitter.

Dwight Howard is a quitter.

Dwight Howard is Baron Davis with a better body. You can blame God for that one. He is wielding a shredded cape, and shooting straight to Hollywood, collecting endorsement money and what will soon be one of the largest contracts in league history. But the O’Brien trophy will never be his if he wins one. It will belong to guys like Turkoglu, with the ability to hit a big shot and knock down free throws. Howard will be the face of the project but the men beneath him, the glue that holds his bloated self-ego together. If I were Magic owner Rick DeVos I would approach the Hornets and ask for the rights to Anthony Davis and a montage of role guys, and wash my hands clean of him.

O! But if only the world worked that perfectas. If only the world was just that damn ironically poetic it would be too good for words. Damn.

The deal implies many things when it comes to both the future of the Lakers star and the NBA as a whole.

Long known as the game’s greatest stage and platform for players to both join the entertainment world and model their blacktop skills, the NBA seemingly is losing its footing from the Macro sense of things.

Multiple trends are engaging this proposition, evolving the professional experience for the American and international hoops star, and recreating the overall experience of professional basketball.

A league that long held its world grandeur by dangling mega guaranteed contracts, ultimately shot itself in the foot, endorsing poor performance in the regular season and distancing the athlete from the everyday fan.

This distance monetarily (the lack of need to earn a paycheck) has metaphorically created a class structure in the billion dollar industry… the player whom assumed his role as king; and the fan, the mediocre serf.

As the lockout wanes and the average fan loses regular season games and possibly the season as a whole, most NBA players are happily going about their lives atop a mountain of cushy livelihood.

To think many of the NBA stars can benefit from the lockout while the fan misses his or her favorite sport is a perfect sign of the times.

While the NBA wilts under the pressure of a two-sided Cold War, the rest of the world continues, hoping to upend the current worldwide favorite by manifesting its own million-dollar packages.

The money proposed by Virtus Bologne, is more money than Bryant has ever seen in the NBA.

Had he earned this type of money per game in a regular season schedule, the star would earn 82 to 164 million dollars a year.

This proves that the NBA IS NOT the only place where a player can earn more than enough money, receive hysterical praise and experience top tier competition.

Not only does Bryant get a nice chunk of offseason spending money, but hey, while he’s at it, the man could be playing a game in his own honor.

Who experiences this type of celebration before death?

Had it not been for scheduling problems with Italian television and the league schedule, Bryant very well could be swayed to waive goodbye officially to the NBA.

Making enormous plots of money is only one part of the European giant, as recent trends have also displayed just how good overseas players have become.

In the 2011 NBA draft, seven European/African-born players were drafted in the first round, three in the Top 10.

Recent NBA champions were led by the Dallas Mavericks‘ German-born Dirk Nowitski, and the San Antonio Spurs’ French man, Toni Parker.

For competitors like Bryant this is of the essence, as he continues to build his resume as one of the greatest athletes in world history.

Conquer America, check.

Conquer the world, check.

******

Historically, a league cannot bounce back after this fragmentation of trust.

The NBA had already survived the 1999 lockout but will not be able to withstand another. Eventually the fan will move on to other high tempo and enticing sport, leaving the league in a wake of dollar trailed dust.

An example of this came in 1994, when Baseball fell from the hands of grace. After the lockout, thegame America loved fell to the third spot in popularity.

This similar misstep by the NBA, mixed with exciting parody in this year’s MLB playoffs, logically propels baseball into the runner-up role behind the NFL.

Had the NFL continued their own lockout, baseball might have reclaimed its formal glory.

This proves just how brittle league-wide popularity really is, making one wonder whether or not we will see a surge in popularity for college hoops, the WNBA , American soccer, the NHL or pro tennis, in replace of pro basketball.

While the NBA works out the battle of the brats, we know the players lack the league pride to make a deal happen. We also are aware of the fact that overseas offers nearly everything the NBA can. And while we the fans wait for a deal to be worked out, one by one, slowly but surely, our hearts will become hard with cynicism, never to be captured again.

For Bryant and the rest of his NBA constituents, this seems to be an afterthought, an annoyance.

But for you and for me, it is the hard elements of reality.