Kobe Bryant playing for the Lakers vs. Redeem Team

[flunky nassau]

I found it interesting that some of my friends who are hardcore Lakers/Kobe haters were happy as shit to have him playing for team U.S.A. He came through in the clutch.


Do people just love to hate that guy, but would do anything to have him on your own team?


Anyone else suddenly dropped their hatred of Kobe for the last 16 days?

 

[Slew Foot]

Me, kinda. I actually just hate the Lakers so everyone on that team is automatically a douchebag.

 

[woodie1]

My disgust for kobe has not changed.

 

[1sikbITCH]

I was going to post this about Coach K. Terps fans hate all things Duke. I follow Terps basketball, but half the time I forget the games are even on and lately I don't even keep up with the players.

When I woke up this morning and caught the last quarter of the gold medal game vs Spain, even though I always hate him during the NCAA season I was proud as an American to see him win and was wondering if hardcore Terps fans were rooting for him as an American or against him as the evil arch nemesis of Terps basketball.

Although if the Steelers were representing America in the football Olympics, I'd probably renounce my citizenship!

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

Kobe is perhaps the most loved/hated player in all of sports.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: flunky nassau
I found it interesting that some of my friends who are hardcore Lakers/Kobe haters were happy as shit to have him playing for team U.S.A. He came through in the clutch.


Do people just love to hate that guy, but would do anything to have him on your own team?


Anyone else suddenly dropped their hatred of Kobe for the last 16 days?

I think Kobe's a player that is easy to hate when he plays on another team, and easy to love when he plays on your team. He's got that perfect combination of cockiness, skill, and polish to pull it off.

 

[txrandom]

I find it hard to hate someone sacrificed at least four weeks of his time plus all the time spent training to represent the US at the Olympics.

 

[flunky nassau]

Originally posted by: txrandom
I find it hard to hate someone sacrificed at least four weeks of his time plus all the time spent training to represent the US at the Olympics.

Yeah that's what I'm saying. I kinda forgot that he was Kobe Bryant of the Lakers, but Kobe Bryant representing the United States.


"I feel a little strange saying this, but... K.O.B.E.!!!!"

"This will be one of the few times you will ever hear me say this, go Kobe!!!!"

Quotes from some friends.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: flunky nassau
I found it interesting that some of my friends who are hardcore Lakers/Kobe haters were happy as shit to have him playing for team U.S.A. He came through in the clutch.


Do people just love to hate that guy, but would do anything to have him on your own team?


Anyone else suddenly dropped their hatred of Kobe for the last 16 days?

I dropped my hatred for the olympics because winning gold is bigger than Kobe.

 

[thepd7]

I still don't like Kobe but in my mind he solidified himself as the second greatest player of all time in that game.

 

[antyler]

This just made me love kobe even more. and Like thepd7 says, I believe he is the second greatest player of all time.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Nope, he's still a douchebag. And they still would have won the Gold without him.

 

[dbk]

Kobe actually got played consistent defense throughout (well, maybe not the gold medal game). Hard to accomplish when he has to take 25+ shots and drop 30+ pts every night with the Lakers.

 

[preslove]

Personally, I think D Wade played the better game. He saved the US in the first half, and hit a critical 3 in the 4th quarter.

 

[thepd7]

Originally posted by: preslove
Personally, I think D Wade played the better game. He saved the US in the first half, and hit a critical 3 in the 4th quarter.

And the other 5-6 critical baskets down the stretch that Kobe made?

I still don't like the guy but he's an outstanding player, and I don't think we win that game without him.

 

[rezinn]

The US should win every game, only the prior teams were poorly constructed. I think we might have won without kobe, but I wouldn't want to chance it considering his importance in the 4th quarter yesterday and his role in the defense throughout the other games. He forced many more turnovers and steals and had a hand in a lot more points than his stats would suggest. Same goes for Jason Kidd.

 

[Jawo]

As much as everyone hates on Kobe...he was a clutch player, especially in the 2nd half of the game this morning. That 3+1 was simply amazing. He's such a love/hate player because he is so clutch when it matters most. Same thing with Coach K...being a VT grad, I hate him since he is such an incredible coach...exactly who you want coaching your team....but not your opponents.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Originally posted by: Jawo
As much as everyone hates on Kobe...he was a clutch player, especially in the 2nd half of the game this morning. That 3+1 was simply amazing. He's such a love/hate player because he is so clutch when it matters most. Same thing with Coach K...being a VT grad, I hate him since he is such an incredible coach...exactly who you want coaching your team....but not your opponents.

I hate him because of his bullshit way of pronouncing his name.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: Jawo
As much as everyone hates on Kobe...he was a clutch player, especially in the 2nd half of the game this morning. That 3+1 was simply amazing. He's such a love/hate player because he is so clutch when it matters most. Same thing with Coach K...being a VT grad, I hate him since he is such an incredible coach...exactly who you want coaching your team....but not your opponents.

Yeah, he was really clutch in the NBA Finals. :laugh:

Oh wait, he's clutch when he's surrounded by All-Stars.

 

[Ballatician]

He definitely stepped up from the first few games when he played horrendously and though I'm not usually a fan of his, he was an integral part of the win and I was cheering him and everyone else on.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Kobe represented the USA very well in these Olympics. He went a long way in my eyes to make up for what he did to his reputation a few years ago.

You couldn't ask for an Olympic athlete to do any better than Kobe has this Olympics.