“What does perfection look like to me? Championship rings.” – Kobe Bryant

Kobe Returns.

“I was just letting the shots fly. You know, I don’t leave any bullets in the chamber.” – Kobe Bryant

Bang bang.

NBA Season is 60 Days away guys.

Let the good times roll!

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

“Take every practice, every game, like it’s your last.” Kobe Bryant

-Dave Chapelle voice- Kobe!

#‎ThrowbackThursdays

Kobe Bryant went old school and wore an assortment of throwback jerseys throughout the 2002 NBA Playoffs.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it’s sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot.” – Kobe Bryant

MJ vs. Kobe?

In his upcoming 339-page memoir “Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success” Phil Jackson writes about how Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant measure up against each other.

On basketball mindsets:

“Michael was more likely to break through his attackers with power and strength, while Kobe often tries to finesse his way through mass pileups,” Jackson wrote. “Michael was stronger, with bigger shoulders and a sturdier frame. He also had large hands that allowed him to control the ball better and make subtle fakes.

“Jordan was also more naturally inclined to let the game come to him and not overplay his hand, whereas Kobe tends to force the action, especially when the game isn’t going his way. When his shot is off, Kobe will pound away relentlessly until his luck turns. Michael, on the other hand, would shift his attention to defense or passing or setting screens to help the team win the game.”

On defense:

“No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender. He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense.

“Kobe has learned a lot from studying Michael’s tricks, and we often used him as our secret weapon on defense when we needed to turn the direction of a game. In general, Kobe tends to rely more heavily on his flexibility and craftiness, but he takes a lot of gambles on defense and sometimes pays the price.”

On leadership:

“One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael’s superior skills as a leader,” Jackson said. “Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he’d yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had.”

Bryant gradually evolved during the 2008-09 championship season, when the Lakers successfully retooled with a more finessed look with Pau Gasol instead of the brute force of the Shaquille O’Neal teams.

If Bryant talked to teammates in his earlier Lakers years, it was usually, “Give me the damn ball,” Jackson wrote. “But then Kobe started to shift. He embraced the team and his teammates, calling them up when we were on the road and inviting them out to dinner. It was as if the other players were now his partners, not his personal spear-carriers.”

#ThrowbackThursday

Kobe Bryant at age 12 playing grown men of Italy.

Above is the post from Kobe’s Facebook after last night’s game.

Kobe Bryant suffered a probable torn Achilles in his left foot during the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the Golden State Warriors on Friday. He will have an MRI on Saturday to confirm the injury. Kobe’s torn Achilles is expected to be a complete tear of the tendon, according to Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register.

Kobe Bryant passed Wilt Chamberlain to become 4th on NBA’s All-Time Scoring List; Air Jordan is next!

If Bryant continues to score at his career average of 25.5 points per game, he will catch Jordan early in the 2013-14 season.

In the Los Angeles Lakers’ 103-98 victory over the Sacramento Kings Saturday March 30th, Kobe Bryant‘s pull-up jumper in the second quarter gave him 31,421 points for his career, edging past Chamberlain’s 31,419 and moving Kobe into the fourth place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. Bryant finished the game with 19 points, a career-high tying 14 assists and nine rebounds.

At age 34, Bryant now trails only Michael Jordan (32,292) by less than 900 points, Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387) on the league’s list of top scorers.