And the Kobe Bryant love-fest soldiers on.
Only this time it’s another fellow Future Hall of Famer who is indulging in some Black Mamba nostalgia.
Following the Dallas Mavericks’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, Dirk Nowitzki laid down the following praise for Kobe Bryant, per the Associated Press’ Greg Beacham:
Dirk on Kobe: "He's our Michael Jordan for our generation. He's one of the best to ever lace 'em up. It's been a pleasure and an honor."
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) January 27, 2016
In the words of Pounding the Rock’s Quixem Ramirez:
"Kobe's Era" is a funny way of spelling "Tim Duncan's Era"
— Quixem Ramirez (@quixem) December 21, 2015
This is nothing against Kobe, the basketball player. Stats have always had an iffy relationship with Bean, but he’s still an all-time great, and his competitive drive is the stuff of vicious legend. And if Dirk was referring to strictly shooting guards, then yes, Kobe is the Michael Jordan of their generation. He mirrored many of MJ’s on-court tricks, and it’s no secret that Kobe so badly wanted to win six championships, in order to match His Airness’ total.
But if we’re talking about the should-be face of a generation, that honor, for this crop of megastars, goes to Duncan.
Playing for the San Antonio Spurs has, in a way, forced Duncan under the radar. He won championships, earned MVP awards and made All-Star appearances. But he has never been the polarizing figure that Kobe remains to this day.
Which, really, changes nothing—other than overly simplified perception.
Kobe’s generation is actually Duncan’s generation.
