this was supposedly written by tobe, but i highly doubt it. it has the cadence of a ghost writer who has hand-picked tape recorded thoughts. nevertheless, it still proves insightful and valuable.
my remarks are bracketed and in bold...
Kobe Bryant ... in his own words
Kobe Bryant / Dime Magazine
Posted: 3 hours ago
The following excerpt is from Kobe Bryant's first-person cover story in Issue #22 of Dime.
The latest issue of Dime, available at newstands now.
My biggest fear is not winning another title. But fear is a great motivator. I'm determined to lead this organization back to the top. The people who once celebrated me are the same people who doubt me now. [bandwagon fakers fans?] They say that because I don't have Shaq that I can't win, that it's over. The only thing I truly worry about is that my drive and my will are sometimes too much for my teammates to handle. Do I expect too much from them? How can I elevate them to play with my same passion every night?
[that question PROVES UNEQUIVOCALLY that tobe is a failure as a teammate, player and leader. tobe's faulty egocentrism has him wasting energy in attempting to have teammates match his so-called 'passion'. a TRUE leader and GREAT teammate isn't interested in making 4 clones of himself. a TRUE leader and GREAT teammate knows how to recognize individual strengths and USE those skills to the advantage of the TEAM.]
What helps me understand and deal with this is the fact that I was once in their shoes. I once played a supporting role on this team. Back then I knew how much pressure Shaquille had on him to win a ring and I also knew I could help. So I studied the game offensively and especially defensively because I knew that if I could harass on the perimeter with him clogging the lane, it would demoralize our opponents more than anything we could do offensively.
I also knew that the teams he played on in the past did not have a closer. No one could take the game over down the stretch or hit the game winner or make the key free throws. Those were Shaq's weaknesses, so I had to step up and make them my strengths. I knew how much more I could bring to the battle, but that wasn't my role. I was a scorer who became a facilitator in order to win.
But now I worry because I know how hard that was for me to learn, how many sleepless nights I had and how much criticism and trade rumors I had to endure before I mastered my role.
[
are you serious? does ANYONE really believe that tobe has learned to be a scorer who became a facilitator? when? ]
This is probably what my current teammates are going through. All I can do is pray that one day we will reach the same level of chemistry and understanding that existed between me, Shaq, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and all the other players I once went to war with.
The fears I have are soothed a little by the presence of Phil Jackson. Simply put: He is the best coach I have ever played for. Everything I have learned about the game can be traced to him and Tex Winter. They teach the game at such a deeper level than X's and O's. The game is a rhythm, a dance. Phil and Tex have taught me to feel the game. To think the game without thinking, to see without seeing. They taught me how to prepare. How to conceptualize the spirit of my opponents and attack them where they are weak.
I've seen how prepared PJ gets before games, and as the on-court leader he is trusting me to do the same. So I do all the things he has taught me to do before tipoff and once the ball is in the air my mind is at ease and my body is ready to play. I take it to the other team on both ends of the floor. I take pride in being able to do that. I HATE being scored on, even by players who some say are "un-guardable." I don't believe it when they say "Oh, that player is just hot today." F--- that! Cool his ass off then.
[tobe's living a tragic lie if he believes that he takes it to the opponents on BOTH ends of the floor. that is a damn shame if tobe's that deluded.
]
When we play on the road and the entire crowd is booing me it doesn't bother me at all. What I think about is simple: "When these fans leave this game I want them to remember how hard I fought and the passion and drive with which I played." I have always played this game with passion. And I always worked hard.
When I saw the movie Rudy I remember thinking, "What if I worked that hard?" God has blessed me both physically and intellectually to play this game, so what would happen if I push as hard as the character in this film? I would love for people to think of me as a talented overachiever. Even though those fans may chant "Kobe sucks" when they leave that arena I want them to walk out with a different feeling than they came in with. When they leave they'll leave with the understanding that they have just witnessed a player give himself completely to his passion; they have just watched an athlete pour every ounce of his heart and soul out on that floor.
And hopefully, when the next volume of my life is all said and done, they will respect and appreciate the years that I spent giving all of me to the game that means everything to me.
my remarks are bracketed and in bold...
Kobe Bryant ... in his own words
Kobe Bryant / Dime Magazine
Posted: 3 hours ago
The following excerpt is from Kobe Bryant's first-person cover story in Issue #22 of Dime.
The latest issue of Dime, available at newstands now.
My biggest fear is not winning another title. But fear is a great motivator. I'm determined to lead this organization back to the top. The people who once celebrated me are the same people who doubt me now. [bandwagon fakers fans?] They say that because I don't have Shaq that I can't win, that it's over. The only thing I truly worry about is that my drive and my will are sometimes too much for my teammates to handle. Do I expect too much from them? How can I elevate them to play with my same passion every night?
[that question PROVES UNEQUIVOCALLY that tobe is a failure as a teammate, player and leader. tobe's faulty egocentrism has him wasting energy in attempting to have teammates match his so-called 'passion'. a TRUE leader and GREAT teammate isn't interested in making 4 clones of himself. a TRUE leader and GREAT teammate knows how to recognize individual strengths and USE those skills to the advantage of the TEAM.]
What helps me understand and deal with this is the fact that I was once in their shoes. I once played a supporting role on this team. Back then I knew how much pressure Shaquille had on him to win a ring and I also knew I could help. So I studied the game offensively and especially defensively because I knew that if I could harass on the perimeter with him clogging the lane, it would demoralize our opponents more than anything we could do offensively.
I also knew that the teams he played on in the past did not have a closer. No one could take the game over down the stretch or hit the game winner or make the key free throws. Those were Shaq's weaknesses, so I had to step up and make them my strengths. I knew how much more I could bring to the battle, but that wasn't my role. I was a scorer who became a facilitator in order to win.
But now I worry because I know how hard that was for me to learn, how many sleepless nights I had and how much criticism and trade rumors I had to endure before I mastered my role.
[
are you serious? does ANYONE really believe that tobe has learned to be a scorer who became a facilitator? when? ]This is probably what my current teammates are going through. All I can do is pray that one day we will reach the same level of chemistry and understanding that existed between me, Shaq, Rick Fox, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and all the other players I once went to war with.
The fears I have are soothed a little by the presence of Phil Jackson. Simply put: He is the best coach I have ever played for. Everything I have learned about the game can be traced to him and Tex Winter. They teach the game at such a deeper level than X's and O's. The game is a rhythm, a dance. Phil and Tex have taught me to feel the game. To think the game without thinking, to see without seeing. They taught me how to prepare. How to conceptualize the spirit of my opponents and attack them where they are weak.
I've seen how prepared PJ gets before games, and as the on-court leader he is trusting me to do the same. So I do all the things he has taught me to do before tipoff and once the ball is in the air my mind is at ease and my body is ready to play. I take it to the other team on both ends of the floor. I take pride in being able to do that. I HATE being scored on, even by players who some say are "un-guardable." I don't believe it when they say "Oh, that player is just hot today." F--- that! Cool his ass off then.
[tobe's living a tragic lie if he believes that he takes it to the opponents on BOTH ends of the floor. that is a damn shame if tobe's that deluded.
]When we play on the road and the entire crowd is booing me it doesn't bother me at all. What I think about is simple: "When these fans leave this game I want them to remember how hard I fought and the passion and drive with which I played." I have always played this game with passion. And I always worked hard.
When I saw the movie Rudy I remember thinking, "What if I worked that hard?" God has blessed me both physically and intellectually to play this game, so what would happen if I push as hard as the character in this film? I would love for people to think of me as a talented overachiever. Even though those fans may chant "Kobe sucks" when they leave that arena I want them to walk out with a different feeling than they came in with. When they leave they'll leave with the understanding that they have just witnessed a player give himself completely to his passion; they have just watched an athlete pour every ounce of his heart and soul out on that floor.
And hopefully, when the next volume of my life is all said and done, they will respect and appreciate the years that I spent giving all of me to the game that means everything to me.
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at your apparent lack of understanding of the game but strong adamancy of your opinions like they are fact. Please STFU and go watch that 'Better basketball' DVD so you can get a remedial understanding of basketball fundamentals because you clearly didnt learn the game when you played for your dad growing up. 
What took you so long 