January 26, 2025 • 25 mins
Why did Kobe Bryant, one of the most legendary figures in basketball history, walk away with only a single MVP award? Many fans and analysts have been baffled by this, and we're here to unravel the mystery. Could his brilliant performances during the 2005 and 2006-07 seasons have been overshadowed by media narratives favoring others like Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki? We’re tackling the controversies and providing a fresh perspective on Kobe's MVP snubs. By analyzing his statistics, his undeniable two-way prowess, and his monumental role with the Lakers, we'll make a compelling case for why Kobe deserved more of those coveted MVP titles.
Adding another layer to our discussion, I challenge the notion that Kobe was just a sidekick to Shaquille O'Neal. Was their dynamic more of an equal partnership than the media let on? I also highlight specific seasons where Kobe's MVP potential was eclipsed by bias and past controversies. Considering how his legacy might have changed with multiple MVP awards, we conclude with a thought-provoking proposal: should players and coaches have a say in award voting?
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hey, hey, before we start the show, I want to
welcome you to the Third DownConversation, your place for
sports and entertainment.
Please remember to like,subscribe, follow, drop a
comment, leave a review.
Five stars, please Remember.
Shows will drop every Tuesdayand I want you guys along for
(00:30):
the ride and also follow me onsocial media Instagram, twitter,
youtube at the Third DownConversation.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
All right, let's jump into the game, To be the best,
(01:00):
you have to win, and that's whodrives.
Who drives who?
Speaker 1 (01:04):
drives, he's the best player in the game.
It's just that simple.
There's nothing that KobeBryant can't do.
He will defend your best player.
He will shoot from theperimeter.
He will get all in your mug.
He will do whatever it takes.
He is the most completebasketball player in the game
today bar none.
He has an assassin's mentality.
I said this week, I said thiswhen the tree went down.
(01:36):
Welcome in.
Welcome in to the Third DownConversation, your place for
sports and entertainment.
I am your host, d Turnip Seed,and on today's episode, why does
Kobe Bryant have only oneregular season MVP?
Kobe's one of the greatest, butone MVP.
(01:59):
That's odd.
Well, we're going to break thatdown and remember.
I keep it real, I keep itauthentic and I put it in proper
context.
Let's jump in.
(02:25):
Kobe Easley is one of the bestbasketball players ever.
To me, kobe Bryant is a top twoplayer, so it does bother me
that he's not here anymore, andit seems like people have
forgotten just how great he wasand speak about him in a way
that, in my opinion, diminisheswho he was.
(02:47):
As a player.
He's clearly one of the best toever play the game.
You're talking about afive-time champion, a two-time
finals MVP.
He was ranked number 10 in thetop 75 list, but somehow in the
regular season he only has oneMVP.
I believe he should have atleast three MVPs, but, like
Chris Broussard, I wave thepom-poms for no one.
(03:08):
Based on Kobe's body of work,he's easily top two.
All time Sports media downplaysmy guy.
I think that level of hate hasa lot to do with the fact that
he doesn't have the MVPs.
When you look at Magic BirdBraun, mj Kareem Wilt, all those
guys have multiple MVPs.
When you look at Magic BirdBraun, mj Kareem Wilt, all those
guys have multiple MVPs.
(03:29):
And you got my guy with justone.
Why is that?
How is that?
It doesn't make sense.
But we're going to break allthat down and then we're going
to put it in context.
So Kobe won his first MVP the2008 season.
For that season he averaged 28points, six rebounds and five
(03:50):
assists on 45% shooting.
He was first team all NBA andfirst team defense.
So that's our baseline as faras what Kobe needs to be an MVP
contention.
So we're going to start with the2005 season and that season is
significant because many peoplebelieve sports, media people,
(04:14):
casual fans.
They believe that Kobe shouldhave won either both or one of
Steve Nash's MVPs both or one ofSteve Nash's MVPs.
The one that really comes underfire is the 2005 season.
Steve Nash wins his second MVP.
He's going back to back the 05season.
(04:37):
Steve Nash averaged 18 points,10 assists, four rebounds on 43%
shooting.
He's first team all NBA and theSuns finished with the number
six correction with the numberthree seed in the Western
Conference.
Kobe, for that season, averages35 points, 4 assists, 5
(05:00):
rebounds on 45% shooting.
He's first team all NBA, he'sfirst team all defense and the
Lakers finished with the numbersix seed in the Western
Conference.
Now, if you just look at the rawnumbers, steve Nash led the
league in assists that year.
Kobe Bryant led the league inscoring that year.
(05:21):
Both made first team all NBA.
But Kobe was first team alldefense.
Kobe's putting in work onoffense and defense.
So in my opinion, the metermoved towards Kobe.
The Suns won 52 games.
The Lakers won 45 games.
So we're talking about a ninegame difference, 45 games.
(05:46):
So we're talking about a ninegame difference.
And winning doesn't matter, buta small portion of this
conversation.
So if you just look at it onits face, kobe had the better
season.
But if that's not good enough,let's dive a little deeper.
If you look at the Suns roster,they had Leonardo I can't say
his name, but his last name isBarbosa.
So they had Barbosa.
(06:07):
They had Sean Marion, they hadAmari Stoudemire.
They had Rajah Bell.
Like that's a quality team.
That team can still make theplayoffs without Steve Nash,
lamar Odom, smush, parker, devinGeorge.
That team is drafting CooperFlagg with the number one
overall pick.
(06:27):
It's going nowhere without Kobe.
So if you look at the numbers,if you look at team record,
supporting Kaz 05 should havebeen the first season that Kobe
won the MVP.
He's clearly more valuable tohis team than Steve Nash.
Steve Nash might have been moredeserving, but that's not the
(06:48):
name of the award.
It's most valuable it was KobeBryant.
The following season, 2006-07,dirk Nowitzki won the MVP that
season.
Dirk averages 24 points, 8rebounds, 3 assists on 50%
shooting.
He's a power forward.
So 50% shooting, you know thatsounds about right.
(07:13):
He's first team all NBA.
The Mavs finished number one inthe Western Conference.
Kobe averages 31 points, fiveassists, five rebounds on 46%
shooting.
He's first team all NBA.
He's first team all defenseagain.
So he leads the league inscoring again.
He's first team defense again.
So we still have a guy in KobeBryant that's giving in on the
(07:33):
offensive end and the defensiveend At this point, clearly the
best two-way player in the game.
How does he not win that MVP?
Oh, that's right.
I guess it comes down to teamwins.
The Mavs are first in the west.
Kobe is eighth.
That particular season theLakers win 42 games.
The Mavs won 67.
There's a bigger gap there.
(07:54):
I get that, I get that.
But again, look at thesupporting cast.
Kobe's got his same team LamarDevin, george, smush Parker I
don't know why I keep throwingSmush under the bus, but it is
what it is but that's his teamwhile Dirk has Josh Howard,
jason Terry, jerry Stackhouseanother team that can make the
(08:16):
playoffs without him, while theLakers they backdraft in top
five, probably top three thistime.
Know, back-to-back losingseasons without Kobe.
So, like, how is Kobe notgetting that MVP?
He's clearly more valuable Now.
This next season it's the2010-2011 season.
Derrick Rose wins it.
I like Derrick Rose.
(08:36):
He came into the league on fire.
But that particular yearDerrick Rose averaged 25 points,
7-6, four rebounds on 44%shooting.
He's first team all NBA.
The Bulls win 62 games thatyear, number one in the East.
Kobe averages 25, 4 assists, 5rebounds on 45% shooting.
(08:59):
He's first team all NBA.
He's first team, all defense.
The Lakers finished number onein the West.
So again you have a player inKobe Bryant that is dominating
on offense and defense.
I don't think people understandjust how hard that is.
How is that guy not winning theMVP?
(09:20):
I get it, derrick Rose was 22during that season, but Kobe has
shown a level of consistencyand he's coming off of winning a
MVP.
I get it, derrick Rose was 22during that season, but Kobe has
shown a level of consistencyand he's coming off of winning a
championship, but isn't gettingany love when it comes to the
MVP.
That's just odd to me.
That particular season Kobeonly got one first place vote,
yet him and Rose their numbersvery, very similar and Kobe was
(09:44):
performing well offensively anddefensively but gets only one
vote for the MVP, as far as youknow, first place votes.
So just to recap 05-06, I thinkKobe should have beat Nash for
the MVP.
06-07, I think Kobe should havebeat Dirk Nowinski for the MVP.
2010-2011, I think Kobe shouldhave beat Dirk Nowinski for the
(10:05):
MVP.
2010 to 2011,.
I think Kobe should have beatDerrick Rose for the MVP.
I believe Kobe should have wonthe MVP those three years
because his numbers were betteror, in D Rose's case, just as
good.
He was the focal point onoffense, yet still very, very
disruptive on defense.
So he was the more completeplayer and he was able to make
(10:27):
the playoffs with far, farlesser teams.
If that's not most valuable,then I don't know what is.
But what about those years withShaq?
Shouldn't Kobe have a chance towin some of those as well?
Or did he have a chance to winsome of those as well?
Or did he have a chance to winsome of those as well?
When I come back we'll look attwo seasons where I felt like
Kobe could have won the MVP.
(10:49):
But first, I hope you guysenjoyed that first segment and
if you haven't had a chance, goahead and hit that like button.
Go ahead and hit that subscribebutton, and a five-star review
will sure help a brother out.
Remember, shows will drop everyTuesday and follow me on
(11:12):
socials at the Third DownConversation.
Now let's continue the show andjump into segment number two.
So for this second segment,we're gonna look at a couple of
(11:44):
seasons where kobe and shaq wereplaying together.
But before I jump into that,there's something I need to
address.
This narrative that kobe wasshaq's sidekick is flat out just
ridiculous.
He wasn't shaq's sidekick.
They had a clear 1A, 1bsituation, no sidekick.
(12:05):
If you want an example of asidekick, look at Scottie Pippen
.
Scottie never averaged morethan 21 points while playing
with Michael Jordan.
Another good example would bePaul Gazal.
Gazal never averaged 20 pointswhile playing with Kobe Ever.
Those guys are sidekicks.
(12:26):
Kobe, for sure, averaged morethan 20 playing with Shaq A lot
of their seasons together.
Kobe's numbers were eitherequal or his numbers were better
Doesn't sound like a sidekickto me, or his numbers were
better.
Doesn't sound like a sidekick tome.
So that narrative is just.
It's ridiculous.
And I'm trying to use goodwords.
(12:47):
I'm trying to use good wordsbut it's so frustrating Because
sports media will make you thinkthat, oh, he was just alone for
the ride.
No, no, the Lakers didn't winuntil Kobe became Kobe, he had
to do what he did for them towin championships.
It's not a sidekick.
(13:07):
It's not a sidekick.
Okay, woosah.
So the two seasons I'm going topoint to and I don't really
have a good argument for thesethese are just a maybe.
Just a maybe.
The 2000-2001 season my guy,allen Iverson, wins it that year
(13:27):
.
But him and Kobe's numbers aresimilar, very, very similar.
Iverson, that season averaged31 points, four assists, two
rebounds on 41% shooting.
First team, all NBA.
The Sixers are first in theconference.
Kobe 28 points, five rebounds,five assists on 46% shooting.
(13:51):
He's second team all NBA.
He's second team all defense.
The Lakers are first in theWestern Conference.
I mean you can make an argument, but Iverson should win that
one.
I mean you can make an argument, but Iverson should win that
one.
The next season would be the2002-2003 season that Tim Duncan
won the MVP.
Duncan averaged 23 points and12 rebounds on 51% shooting.
(14:13):
Again, he's a big man, playedaround the rim but he was first
team all NBA and first team alldefense.
The Spurs were first in theleague, first in the conference.
Kobe averaged 36 boards, fiveassists on 45% shooting, but he
was 38% from three.
He was first team all NBA,first team all defense.
(14:36):
They were second in the WesternConference.
So those two years it's kind oftight, kind of tight, but I
don't feel Kobe's argument is asstrong as those later years.
But you can make an argument.
I guess I just wanted tohighlight those seasons because
it shows that Kobe's not asidekick, that's for sure.
(14:57):
I mean the guy's in the MVPrunning.
He's averaging 28 points and 30points, but he a sidekick,
anyway, whatever, that brings usback to the question how does
Kobe only have one regularseason MVP?
In my opinion it's due tosports media.
Why is it their fault?
Because they vote on who winsthe award.
(15:19):
They vote on who wins the award.
And this is important becauseScoop Jackson, who was a writer
for ESPN, inspired me to lookinto the topic of why Kobe only
has one regular season MVP,wrote an article pretty much
asking the same thing and, in myopinion, came to a pretty solid
(15:40):
conclusion as to why.
In Scoop Jackson's article hewrites the truth is Kobe Bryant
might never win the MVP of theleague.
He is too hated hated by thosewho cast votes.
As one writer said to me whenthe subject was brought up in
conversation, kobe'selectability quotient is zero.
(16:01):
Now, now, what they're talkingabout here is what happened in
Colorado with Kobe and a femaleperson.
I'm not going to get into allthat, but if you want to know,
you can, you can Google it.
Scoop continues by saying a manaverages 35 points per game.
He gets five rebounds, fourassists, almost two steals a
(16:23):
game.
He has 27 games of 40-pluspoints, has one month where he
averages 43 points per game.
He's on an all-defensive firstteam something not one of the
other players in the MVP runningis included on and leads his
team to the playoffs.
How does that guy not win theMVP?
(16:44):
Scoop Jackson continues bysaying that same man, the very
next year averages 31, fiverebounds, five assists, almost
two steals a game, has 10 gamesof 50 plus points.
He makes the all defensivefirst team again and his team
(17:05):
makes the playoffs.
Now, the two seasons that scoopis highlighting are the 2005-06
season and the 2006-07 season,the very two seasons that I
mentioned that Kobe should havewon the MVP.
Scoop, then, highlights that itis so bad for Kobe that in the
(17:25):
2004-05 season, kobe averaged 27points, 5 rebounds, six assists
and PJ Brown.
Pj Brown Most of y'all don'tknow who PJ Brown is, but but PJ
Brown received a first placevote for MVP and Kobe received
(18:03):
none.
Let that sink in.
And PJ Brown, who played forthe Charlotte Hornets, his team
won 18 games.
18 games, 18 games.
Scoop concludes his article bysaying in sports, in the end,
whether we want to acknowledgeit honestly or not, athletes put
(18:24):
their legacies in the hands ofthose who have the power to hate
them.
Scoop Jackson is correct.
I personally believe theplayers and the coaches should
be voting for league awards.
It shouldn't be sports talkingheads or writers.
Why should they have so muchcontrol over a player's legacy
(18:45):
or, in some cases, a player'ssalary?
Now this leads to a biggerconversation, because I believe
if Kobe had more regular seasonMVPs, he'd firmly be in the GOAT
debate.
I think Kobe's already there.
Many others believe that as well.
Sports media don't, and themain reason why they do not is
(19:08):
because of the regular seasonMVPs.
Not is because of the regularseason MVPs.
For instance, chandler Parsons,who is a former player but now
he's a part of the media,mentioned that he's got Kevin
Durant ahead of Kobe.
He's got Steph Curry ahead ofKobe.
I like both of those players,especially Steph Again
light-skinned brothers.
(19:29):
Neither one of those guys areabove Kobe and it's not even
close.
It's not even close.
Stephen A doesn't have Kobe asnumber two and Kobe should be
number two, but he doesn't haveKobe number two because he
states that LeBron averaged morepoints for his career, averaged
more assists, averaged morerebounds and is more durable.
(19:51):
Then he continues to say thatKobe does have the rings, but
Kobe played with Shaq anddownplays the teammates that
LeBron has had made it seem likethose guys were not that great.
And this is just again, I'mtrying to use good words.
This is just so asinine becauseif that's your criteria points
(20:15):
per game, assists per game,rebounds per game and durability
if that's your criteria, thenLeBron has MJ beat in three of
those categories.
But then you would turn aroundand say, well, mj got the better
awards and accolades andchampionships, but Kobe can't
say that because the media theyain't want to vote for him.
(20:37):
They saw him as some arrogantguy and just didn't look at the
player.
I get what happened in Colorado.
I get that.
However, kobe's body of work onthe court, his performance on
the court, was clearly MVPworthy and Scoops Jackson's
article backs that up completelyand just.
Furthermore, on what Stephen Awas talking about, lebron does
(21:00):
average more points than Kobefor his career.
A lot of that is due to thefact that early in Kobe's career
he didn't play.
His coach didn't give him theopportunity.
Kobe spoke about that on ainterview with Matt Barnes and
Steven Jackson.
He went in depth about that.
As far as like rebounds andassists, the only thing that
LeBron does better than Kobe ispass period, nothing else.
(21:25):
The belief that since Kobewasn't asked to rebound the ball
, that means that he wouldn'thave been good at it is a lazy
opinion, especially when we knowafter he got done playing
basketball, that whole mamamentality.
Do we really believe if thecoach was like Kobe.
I need you to get 10 rebounds.
That he couldn't do it.
Come on, man and durability.
(21:47):
Lebron is a low manager.
He rested, he sat games out.
That wasn't who Kobe was, andfans like myself appreciate that
.
So, yeah, he broke down faster,but that's because he played,
he didn't sit games out.
And then to hold against Kobefor playing with Shaq just
(22:08):
doesn't really make sense to me.
It doesn't make sense BecauseLeBron had a prime D-Wade, a
prime Bosh, a prime Kyrie, aprime Kevin Love, prime AD.
He had all these guys in theirprime.
None of them equal Shaq bythemselves, but together they're
like two Shaqs, like he hadthem in their prime.
And if you just go back andlook at the rosters that Kobe
(22:31):
played with, compared to whatLeBron played with for Kobe's
career, his teammates made 20All-Star games.
For LeBron's career, histeammates made 46 All-Star games
.
But you don't hold that againstLeBron.
You don't hold it againstLeBron for teaming up with
D-Wade and Bosh.
You don't hold against LeBronthat.
Okay.
Then he went and joined up withKevin Love and Kyrie Irving.
(22:52):
You don't hold against LeBronthat he works something out to
where AD can come to the Lakers.
None of that gets hold againstLeBron, but you're gonna
downplay Kobe because Kobeplayed with Shaq.
I mean, one guy was drafted tothe Lakers, he was drafted into
the situation, another guy outthere picking and choosing.
I want to go here, I want to gohere, I want to go here, I want
(23:12):
to go here, I want to go here.
And, ironically, he seemed toalways leave when things were
starting to fall apart for thatorganization.
Things were going bad withMiami.
Oh, time for me to go.
I want to go home, I want to gohome.
Nah, fam, if the Cavs didn'thave Kyrie, I don't believe he
goes back to Cleveland and thenthat situation start to fall
apart.
Okay, well, I'm gonna go to la.
And now look at la.
(23:33):
I'll make it real simple.
My guy didn't need to run tomiami to beat boston.
He stood 10 toes and beat him inla my guy didn't need d way to
teach him how to win.
He learned through failure.
My guy didn't need to join upwith other superstars because he
believed he was better than MJMamba mentality.
(23:56):
But these are just my thoughts.
Y'all let me know what y'allthink.
Leave a review.
Drop a comment.
Let me know something.
Y'all know Kobe should have atleast three MVPs.
Y'all know it.
But all right, peeps, Thanky'all for joining me today.
Again, this is the Third Down.
Conversation Shows will dropevery Tuesday.
(24:17):
Please remember to like,subscribe and leave a review.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
I'm D Turnip Seed.
Jesus loves you and I'm out.
Peace, peace.
Think about game winning shotsor game winning free throws.
People go to the free throw lineand they're nervous about it.
But what are you really nervousabout If you unpack that?
Okay, you're nervous thatyou're going to miss the shot.
All right, so you missed theshot.
Then what happens?
People are going to beembarrassed.
You're going to be embarrassedbecause thousands of people,
millions of people, see you missthe shot, all right.
(24:52):
And then what?
People are going to talk badabout you.
Okay, so you're looking at itand you go.
Are those things even important?
You know what I mean.
If that is my fear, what is?
You're worried about lettingyour teammates down.
Okay, have you let them downbefore?
Oh, I'm sure.
And practice and things of thatnature right, they're still
(25:16):
there, yeah, you know.
And so when you're able tounpack it, you kind of look at
it for what it is, which isreally nothing, don't hide from
it.
You know you got to be able tolook at it and you know, and and
and deal with it head on.
Hey, hey, before we start the show, I want to
welcome you to the Third DownConversation, your place for
sports and entertainment.
Please remember to like,subscribe, follow, drop a
comment, leave a review.
Five stars, please Remember.
Shows will drop every Tuesdayand I want you guys along for
(00:30):
the ride and also follow me onsocial media Instagram, twitter,
youtube at the Third DownConversation.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
All right, let's jump into the game, To be the best,
(01:00):
you have to win, and that's whodrives.
Who drives who?
Speaker 1 (01:04):
drives, he's the best player in the game.
It's just that simple.
There's nothing that KobeBryant can't do.
He will defend your best player.
He will shoot from theperimeter.
He will get all in your mug.
He will do whatever it takes.
He is the most completebasketball player in the game
today bar none.
He has an assassin's mentality.
I said this week, I said thiswhen the tree went down.
(01:36):
Welcome in.
Welcome in to the Third DownConversation, your place for
sports and entertainment.
I am your host, d Turnip Seed,and on today's episode, why does
Kobe Bryant have only oneregular season MVP?
Kobe's one of the greatest, butone MVP.
(01:59):
That's odd.
Well, we're going to break thatdown and remember.
I keep it real, I keep itauthentic and I put it in proper
context.
Let's jump in.
(02:25):
Kobe Easley is one of the bestbasketball players ever.
To me, kobe Bryant is a top twoplayer, so it does bother me
that he's not here anymore, andit seems like people have
forgotten just how great he wasand speak about him in a way
that, in my opinion, diminisheswho he was.
(02:47):
As a player.
He's clearly one of the best toever play the game.
You're talking about afive-time champion, a two-time
finals MVP.
He was ranked number 10 in thetop 75 list, but somehow in the
regular season he only has oneMVP.
I believe he should have atleast three MVPs, but, like
Chris Broussard, I wave thepom-poms for no one.
(03:08):
Based on Kobe's body of work,he's easily top two.
All time Sports media downplaysmy guy.
I think that level of hate hasa lot to do with the fact that
he doesn't have the MVPs.
When you look at Magic BirdBraun, mj Kareem Wilt, all those
guys have multiple MVPs.
When you look at Magic BirdBraun, mj Kareem Wilt, all those
guys have multiple MVPs.
(03:29):
And you got my guy with justone.
Why is that?
How is that?
It doesn't make sense.
But we're going to break allthat down and then we're going
to put it in context.
So Kobe won his first MVP the2008 season.
For that season he averaged 28points, six rebounds and five
(03:50):
assists on 45% shooting.
He was first team all NBA andfirst team defense.
So that's our baseline as faras what Kobe needs to be an MVP
contention.
So we're going to start with the2005 season and that season is
significant because many peoplebelieve sports, media people,
(04:14):
casual fans.
They believe that Kobe shouldhave won either both or one of
Steve Nash's MVPs both or one ofSteve Nash's MVPs.
The one that really comes underfire is the 2005 season.
Steve Nash wins his second MVP.
He's going back to back the 05season.
(04:37):
Steve Nash averaged 18 points,10 assists, four rebounds on 43%
shooting.
He's first team all NBA and theSuns finished with the number
six correction with the numberthree seed in the Western
Conference.
Kobe, for that season, averages35 points, 4 assists, 5
(05:00):
rebounds on 45% shooting.
He's first team all NBA, he'sfirst team all defense and the
Lakers finished with the numbersix seed in the Western
Conference.
Now, if you just look at the rawnumbers, steve Nash led the
league in assists that year.
Kobe Bryant led the league inscoring that year.
(05:21):
Both made first team all NBA.
But Kobe was first team alldefense.
Kobe's putting in work onoffense and defense.
So in my opinion, the metermoved towards Kobe.
The Suns won 52 games.
The Lakers won 45 games.
So we're talking about a ninegame difference, 45 games.
(05:46):
So we're talking about a ninegame difference.
And winning doesn't matter, buta small portion of this
conversation.
So if you just look at it onits face, kobe had the better
season.
But if that's not good enough,let's dive a little deeper.
If you look at the Suns roster,they had Leonardo I can't say
his name, but his last name isBarbosa.
So they had Barbosa.
(06:07):
They had Sean Marion, they hadAmari Stoudemire.
They had Rajah Bell.
Like that's a quality team.
That team can still make theplayoffs without Steve Nash,
lamar Odom, smush, parker, devinGeorge.
That team is drafting CooperFlagg with the number one
overall pick.
(06:27):
It's going nowhere without Kobe.
So if you look at the numbers,if you look at team record,
supporting Kaz 05 should havebeen the first season that Kobe
won the MVP.
He's clearly more valuable tohis team than Steve Nash.
Steve Nash might have been moredeserving, but that's not the
(06:48):
name of the award.
It's most valuable it was KobeBryant.
The following season, 2006-07,dirk Nowitzki won the MVP that
season.
Dirk averages 24 points, 8rebounds, 3 assists on 50%
shooting.
He's a power forward.
So 50% shooting, you know thatsounds about right.
(07:13):
He's first team all NBA.
The Mavs finished number one inthe Western Conference.
Kobe averages 31 points, fiveassists, five rebounds on 46%
shooting.
He's first team all NBA.
He's first team all defenseagain.
So he leads the league inscoring again.
He's first team defense again.
So we still have a guy in KobeBryant that's giving in on the
(07:33):
offensive end and the defensiveend At this point, clearly the
best two-way player in the game.
How does he not win that MVP?
Oh, that's right.
I guess it comes down to teamwins.
The Mavs are first in the west.
Kobe is eighth.
That particular season theLakers win 42 games.
The Mavs won 67.
There's a bigger gap there.
(07:54):
I get that, I get that.
But again, look at thesupporting cast.
Kobe's got his same team LamarDevin, george, smush Parker I
don't know why I keep throwingSmush under the bus, but it is
what it is but that's his teamwhile Dirk has Josh Howard,
jason Terry, jerry Stackhouseanother team that can make the
(08:16):
playoffs without him, while theLakers they backdraft in top
five, probably top three thistime.
Know, back-to-back losingseasons without Kobe.
So, like, how is Kobe notgetting that MVP?
He's clearly more valuable Now.
This next season it's the2010-2011 season.
Derrick Rose wins it.
I like Derrick Rose.
(08:36):
He came into the league on fire.
But that particular yearDerrick Rose averaged 25 points,
7-6, four rebounds on 44%shooting.
He's first team all NBA.
The Bulls win 62 games thatyear, number one in the East.
Kobe averages 25, 4 assists, 5rebounds on 45% shooting.
(08:59):
He's first team all NBA.
He's first team, all defense.
The Lakers finished number onein the West.
So again you have a player inKobe Bryant that is dominating
on offense and defense.
I don't think people understandjust how hard that is.
How is that guy not winning theMVP?
(09:20):
I get it, derrick Rose was 22during that season, but Kobe has
shown a level of consistencyand he's coming off of winning a
MVP.
I get it, derrick Rose was 22during that season, but Kobe has
shown a level of consistencyand he's coming off of winning a
championship, but isn't gettingany love when it comes to the
MVP.
That's just odd to me.
That particular season Kobeonly got one first place vote,
yet him and Rose their numbersvery, very similar and Kobe was
(09:44):
performing well offensively anddefensively but gets only one
vote for the MVP, as far as youknow, first place votes.
So just to recap 05-06, I thinkKobe should have beat Nash for
the MVP.
06-07, I think Kobe should havebeat Dirk Nowinski for the MVP.
2010-2011, I think Kobe shouldhave beat Dirk Nowinski for the
(10:05):
MVP.
2010 to 2011,.
I think Kobe should have beatDerrick Rose for the MVP.
I believe Kobe should have wonthe MVP those three years
because his numbers were betteror, in D Rose's case, just as
good.
He was the focal point onoffense, yet still very, very
disruptive on defense.
So he was the more completeplayer and he was able to make
(10:27):
the playoffs with far, farlesser teams.
If that's not most valuable,then I don't know what is.
But what about those years withShaq?
Shouldn't Kobe have a chance towin some of those as well?
Or did he have a chance to winsome of those as well?
Or did he have a chance to winsome of those as well?
When I come back we'll look attwo seasons where I felt like
Kobe could have won the MVP.
(10:49):
But first, I hope you guysenjoyed that first segment and
if you haven't had a chance, goahead and hit that like button.
Go ahead and hit that subscribebutton, and a five-star review
will sure help a brother out.
Remember, shows will drop everyTuesday and follow me on
(11:12):
socials at the Third DownConversation.
Now let's continue the show andjump into segment number two.
So for this second segment,we're gonna look at a couple of
(11:44):
seasons where kobe and shaq wereplaying together.
But before I jump into that,there's something I need to
address.
This narrative that kobe wasshaq's sidekick is flat out just
ridiculous.
He wasn't shaq's sidekick.
They had a clear 1A, 1bsituation, no sidekick.
(12:05):
If you want an example of asidekick, look at Scottie Pippen
.
Scottie never averaged morethan 21 points while playing
with Michael Jordan.
Another good example would bePaul Gazal.
Gazal never averaged 20 pointswhile playing with Kobe Ever.
Those guys are sidekicks.
(12:26):
Kobe, for sure, averaged morethan 20 playing with Shaq A lot
of their seasons together.
Kobe's numbers were eitherequal or his numbers were better
Doesn't sound like a sidekickto me, or his numbers were
better.
Doesn't sound like a sidekick tome.
So that narrative is just.
It's ridiculous.
And I'm trying to use goodwords.
(12:47):
I'm trying to use good wordsbut it's so frustrating Because
sports media will make you thinkthat, oh, he was just alone for
the ride.
No, no, the Lakers didn't winuntil Kobe became Kobe, he had
to do what he did for them towin championships.
It's not a sidekick.
(13:07):
It's not a sidekick.
Okay, woosah.
So the two seasons I'm going topoint to and I don't really
have a good argument for thesethese are just a maybe.
Just a maybe.
The 2000-2001 season my guy,allen Iverson, wins it that year
(13:27):
.
But him and Kobe's numbers aresimilar, very, very similar.
Iverson, that season averaged31 points, four assists, two
rebounds on 41% shooting.
First team, all NBA.
The Sixers are first in theconference.
Kobe 28 points, five rebounds,five assists on 46% shooting.
(13:51):
He's second team all NBA.
He's second team all defense.
The Lakers are first in theWestern Conference.
I mean you can make an argument, but Iverson should win that
one.
I mean you can make an argument, but Iverson should win that
one.
The next season would be the2002-2003 season that Tim Duncan
won the MVP.
Duncan averaged 23 points and12 rebounds on 51% shooting.
(14:13):
Again, he's a big man, playedaround the rim but he was first
team all NBA and first team alldefense.
The Spurs were first in theleague, first in the conference.
Kobe averaged 36 boards, fiveassists on 45% shooting, but he
was 38% from three.
He was first team all NBA,first team all defense.
(14:36):
They were second in the WesternConference.
So those two years it's kind oftight, kind of tight, but I
don't feel Kobe's argument is asstrong as those later years.
But you can make an argument.
I guess I just wanted tohighlight those seasons because
it shows that Kobe's not asidekick, that's for sure.
(14:57):
I mean the guy's in the MVPrunning.
He's averaging 28 points and 30points, but he a sidekick,
anyway, whatever, that brings usback to the question how does
Kobe only have one regularseason MVP?
In my opinion it's due tosports media.
Why is it their fault?
Because they vote on who winsthe award.
(15:19):
They vote on who wins the award.
And this is important becauseScoop Jackson, who was a writer
for ESPN, inspired me to lookinto the topic of why Kobe only
has one regular season MVP,wrote an article pretty much
asking the same thing and, in myopinion, came to a pretty solid
(15:40):
conclusion as to why.
In Scoop Jackson's article hewrites the truth is Kobe Bryant
might never win the MVP of theleague.
He is too hated hated by thosewho cast votes.
As one writer said to me whenthe subject was brought up in
conversation, kobe'selectability quotient is zero.
(16:01):
Now, now, what they're talkingabout here is what happened in
Colorado with Kobe and a femaleperson.
I'm not going to get into allthat, but if you want to know,
you can, you can Google it.
Scoop continues by saying a manaverages 35 points per game.
He gets five rebounds, fourassists, almost two steals a
(16:23):
game.
He has 27 games of 40-pluspoints, has one month where he
averages 43 points per game.
He's on an all-defensive firstteam something not one of the
other players in the MVP runningis included on and leads his
team to the playoffs.
How does that guy not win theMVP?
(16:44):
Scoop Jackson continues bysaying that same man, the very
next year averages 31, fiverebounds, five assists, almost
two steals a game, has 10 gamesof 50 plus points.
He makes the all defensivefirst team again and his team
(17:05):
makes the playoffs.
Now, the two seasons that scoopis highlighting are the 2005-06
season and the 2006-07 season,the very two seasons that I
mentioned that Kobe should havewon the MVP.
Scoop, then, highlights that itis so bad for Kobe that in the
(17:25):
2004-05 season, kobe averaged 27points, 5 rebounds, six assists
and PJ Brown.
Pj Brown Most of y'all don'tknow who PJ Brown is, but but PJ
Brown received a first placevote for MVP and Kobe received
(18:03):
none.
Let that sink in.
And PJ Brown, who played forthe Charlotte Hornets, his team
won 18 games.
18 games, 18 games.
Scoop concludes his article bysaying in sports, in the end,
whether we want to acknowledgeit honestly or not, athletes put
(18:24):
their legacies in the hands ofthose who have the power to hate
them.
Scoop Jackson is correct.
I personally believe theplayers and the coaches should
be voting for league awards.
It shouldn't be sports talkingheads or writers.
Why should they have so muchcontrol over a player's legacy
(18:45):
or, in some cases, a player'ssalary?
Now this leads to a biggerconversation, because I believe
if Kobe had more regular seasonMVPs, he'd firmly be in the GOAT
debate.
I think Kobe's already there.
Many others believe that as well.
Sports media don't, and themain reason why they do not is
(19:08):
because of the regular seasonMVPs.
Not is because of the regularseason MVPs.
For instance, chandler Parsons,who is a former player but now
he's a part of the media,mentioned that he's got Kevin
Durant ahead of Kobe.
He's got Steph Curry ahead ofKobe.
I like both of those players,especially Steph Again
light-skinned brothers.
(19:29):
Neither one of those guys areabove Kobe and it's not even
close.
It's not even close.
Stephen A doesn't have Kobe asnumber two and Kobe should be
number two, but he doesn't haveKobe number two because he
states that LeBron averaged morepoints for his career, averaged
more assists, averaged morerebounds and is more durable.
(19:51):
Then he continues to say thatKobe does have the rings, but
Kobe played with Shaq anddownplays the teammates that
LeBron has had made it seem likethose guys were not that great.
And this is just again, I'mtrying to use good words.
This is just so asinine becauseif that's your criteria points
(20:15):
per game, assists per game,rebounds per game and durability
if that's your criteria, thenLeBron has MJ beat in three of
those categories.
But then you would turn aroundand say, well, mj got the better
awards and accolades andchampionships, but Kobe can't
say that because the media theyain't want to vote for him.
(20:37):
They saw him as some arrogantguy and just didn't look at the
player.
I get what happened in Colorado.
I get that.
However, kobe's body of work onthe court, his performance on
the court, was clearly MVPworthy and Scoops Jackson's
article backs that up completelyand just.
Furthermore, on what Stephen Awas talking about, lebron does
(21:00):
average more points than Kobefor his career.
A lot of that is due to thefact that early in Kobe's career
he didn't play.
His coach didn't give him theopportunity.
Kobe spoke about that on ainterview with Matt Barnes and
Steven Jackson.
He went in depth about that.
As far as like rebounds andassists, the only thing that
LeBron does better than Kobe ispass period, nothing else.
(21:25):
The belief that since Kobewasn't asked to rebound the ball
, that means that he wouldn'thave been good at it is a lazy
opinion, especially when we knowafter he got done playing
basketball, that whole mamamentality.
Do we really believe if thecoach was like Kobe.
I need you to get 10 rebounds.
That he couldn't do it.
Come on, man and durability.
(21:47):
Lebron is a low manager.
He rested, he sat games out.
That wasn't who Kobe was, andfans like myself appreciate that
.
So, yeah, he broke down faster,but that's because he played,
he didn't sit games out.
And then to hold against Kobefor playing with Shaq just
(22:08):
doesn't really make sense to me.
It doesn't make sense BecauseLeBron had a prime D-Wade, a
prime Bosh, a prime Kyrie, aprime Kevin Love, prime AD.
He had all these guys in theirprime.
None of them equal Shaq bythemselves, but together they're
like two Shaqs, like he hadthem in their prime.
And if you just go back andlook at the rosters that Kobe
(22:31):
played with, compared to whatLeBron played with for Kobe's
career, his teammates made 20All-Star games.
For LeBron's career, histeammates made 46 All-Star games
.
But you don't hold that againstLeBron.
You don't hold it againstLeBron for teaming up with
D-Wade and Bosh.
You don't hold against LeBronthat.
Okay.
Then he went and joined up withKevin Love and Kyrie Irving.
(22:52):
You don't hold against LeBronthat he works something out to
where AD can come to the Lakers.
None of that gets hold againstLeBron, but you're gonna
downplay Kobe because Kobeplayed with Shaq.
I mean, one guy was drafted tothe Lakers, he was drafted into
the situation, another guy outthere picking and choosing.
I want to go here, I want to gohere, I want to go here, I want
(23:12):
to go here, I want to go here.
And, ironically, he seemed toalways leave when things were
starting to fall apart for thatorganization.
Things were going bad withMiami.
Oh, time for me to go.
I want to go home, I want to gohome.
Nah, fam, if the Cavs didn'thave Kyrie, I don't believe he
goes back to Cleveland and thenthat situation start to fall
apart.
Okay, well, I'm gonna go to la.
And now look at la.
(23:33):
I'll make it real simple.
My guy didn't need to run tomiami to beat boston.
He stood 10 toes and beat him inla my guy didn't need d way to
teach him how to win.
He learned through failure.
My guy didn't need to join upwith other superstars because he
believed he was better than MJMamba mentality.
(23:56):
But these are just my thoughts.
Y'all let me know what y'allthink.
Leave a review.
Drop a comment.
Let me know something.
Y'all know Kobe should have atleast three MVPs.
Y'all know it.
But all right, peeps, Thanky'all for joining me today.
Again, this is the Third Down.
Conversation Shows will dropevery Tuesday.
(24:17):
Please remember to like,subscribe and leave a review.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
I'm D Turnip Seed.
Jesus loves you and I'm out.
Peace, peace.
Think about game winning shotsor game winning free throws.
People go to the free throw lineand they're nervous about it.
But what are you really nervousabout If you unpack that?
Okay, you're nervous thatyou're going to miss the shot.
All right, so you missed theshot.
Then what happens?
People are going to beembarrassed.
You're going to be embarrassedbecause thousands of people,
millions of people, see you missthe shot, all right.
(24:52):
And then what?
People are going to talk badabout you.
Okay, so you're looking at itand you go.
Are those things even important?
You know what I mean.
If that is my fear, what is?
You're worried about lettingyour teammates down.
Okay, have you let them downbefore?
Oh, I'm sure.
And practice and things of thatnature right, they're still
(25:16):
there, yeah, you know.
And so when you're able tounpack it, you kind of look at
it for what it is, which isreally nothing, don't hide from
it.
You know you got to be able tolook at it and you know, and and
and deal with it head on.
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