Kobe Bryant is still often on the mind in the day-to-day chatter around the NBA, particularly this time of year, as Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins a second straight NBA MVP and LeBron James explores a departure from the Los Angeles Lakers.
And Sunday night on the Nightcap podcast, as host Shannon Sharpe discussed the latest NBA headlines, Bryant came up a handful of times. A known James supporter, Sharpe fielded a question late in the livestream in which a viewer teased Sharpe that if he had to give his take on Bryant to the late shooting guard’s face, he might have a different opinion.
In response, Sharpe offered a surprising perspective about how the conversation around Bryant has changed since his sudden passing six years ago.
“Kobe is great, historically great. But y’all need to go back and get some of these YouTube videos, when people were talking about Kobe when he was playing, and they don’t talk about Kobe in the glowing terms that they do now. That’s all I’ve ever said,” Sharpe explained.
“People speak differently about Kobe now because of the tragic passing. They didn’t speak about him in the (same) glowing terms.”
Sharpe likened the discourse around Bryant and his legacy to that of certain cultural icons like Martin Luther King Jr. or Muhammad Ali, who were often challenged in their time before becoming more deeply appreciated in death.
Bryant’s complicated legacy is well-established among sports commentators, but his basketball resume can be difficult to evaluate as well. The Lakers legend won just one MVP award, and his evolution before and after playing with Shaquille O’Neal defines his career. Yet even to this day, Bryant’s defenders are among the most aggressive online of any athlete.
In Sharpe’s mind, his stance on Bryant is merely a reality of what happens to players when they retire and can no longer add accolades to the ledger.
“Kobe wouldn’t debate, and there’s nothing to defend, because Kobe’s already did what he did,” he told the viewer. “Once you’re done, you can’t add. So whatever place he’s at, whatever you had him at … how does he move up?”
Sharpe’s clear allegiances to James will lead many to question his view on Bryant. That’s the fun of all-time NBA debates. However, Sharpe’s commentary on how the media flipped its script on Bryant is certainly worth considering as more time passes since his death and the debate over his career continues.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.