Kobe Bryant, The NBA's Supervillain

Kobe Bryant is not the Black Mamba. He's not the next Michael Jordan. He was never a Batman to Shaq's Superman. He's not LeBron's wise, old mentor and sure as hell isn't a goddamn puppet. Kobe Bryant is Lex Luthor. Hell bent on world domination no matter the cost, no matter the casualties. You keep your Truth, Justice, and the American way; he's taking the trophy.

There will be two types of basketball fans watching the NBA Finals when they kick off on Thursday: Lakers fans and Kobe haters. It won't be there on ABC or Sportscenter but ask around the office and the local sports bar and you'll find it in bunches. The Kobe Hatred. It's the default position for your average viewer. I defy you to find one NBA fan who doesn't like the Lakers and will actually cheer for Kobe Bryant out loud. It is a mutually exclusive choice. Either defend Kobe to the death or hate the player and the game.

It's not hard to find the source of all the Kobe hatred. His numerous off-court dramatics have forever turned public opinion against him. His 2003 arrest and trial for sexual assault poisoned fans and others and presented him in drastically negative light to a huge audience. A criminal case that was dropped and a civil case that was settled privately, presumed his guilt long before his day in court.

The season after the trial brought the disintegration of the Laker dynasty that won three straight titles. Bryant publicly feuded with Shaquille O' Neal, one of the most well-liked and charismatic characters in the league. After forcing a trade out of Orlando and landing in Los Angeles in 1999, O'Neal became L.A.'s favorite son and the league's most dominating player since Michael Jordan. After three titles and four Finals appearances the honeymoon ended in an ugly media spat. O'Neal was traded to Miami and Phil Jackson vacated his coaching position calling Bryant among other things, "uncoachable." Kobe took most of the blame at the time for being a selfish, controlling superstar and demanding changes be made.

The following three years brought two playoff appearances, the return of Phil Jackson, and some of Bryant's best individual performances. In 2006 he scored 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors, the second highest total in NBA history. He averaged over 43 points in January of that year and 35.4, a career high, for the entire season. But L.A. only won four playoff games over the three-year stretch. It also brought Kobe's most embarrassing on-court incident. In Game 7 of their 2006 playoff series against the Phoenix Suns, Bryant scored 21 points in the first half yet the Lakers trailed by 15 at halftime. Throughout the second half Kobe passed on any offensive opportunity and only scored one point on three shots.

Then in May of 2007 after another early exit from the playoffs Kobe publicly demanded a trade out of L.A. on a national radio show. After reconciling with the organization and coach Phil Jackson, Kobe remained a Laker and led the team to the Finals while collecting his first MVP award. The stage was set for Bryant's redemption against the Lakers' ancient rival, Boston Celtics, but they fell in six games.

Through it all: the media firestorms, the public vilification, the tell-all books and Shaq's raps - Kobe has remained a great and intensely focused player. An all-time great player. He is probably the NBA's greatest player ever to only have won one MVP award. You can argue if the Lakers hoist the trophy this year, he'll be considered one of the ten greatest players ever. Ever. He is currently 17th on the career scoring list and in three years he could crack the top 5. His competitive fire and game preparation are legendary in basketball's inner circles. On an Olympic team full of young superstars he was the undisputed leader and defensive captain. If you want to know the difference in the '07 versions of LeBron and Melo look no further than the gold medals around their neck. They were like dry timber until Kobe's fire got them going.

Now in the next two weeks he lines up against another budding superstar and Redeem teammate, Dwight Howard. Another Superman. Another fun, likable big man. Another Finals he's supposed to win. It won't be easy with an erratic supporting cast and an Orlando team that can catch fire at the drop of a three-pointer. But I think he knows. He knows how hard it is to build a great team. How hard they had to work to get through the season and the playoffs. How fragile every season is. How critical every opportunity to win a title is. I wouldn't bet against him.

Kobe Bryant will never be as revered as Michael Jordan. Never be as accepted as Shaq. He'll never be adored the way LeBron will be. He'll never be loved outside the Laker Nation. That's OK. All he wants right now is this title, this year. The haters may always relegate him to a footnote between the greatness of MJ's past and the potential of LeBron's future. Maybe that's OK, too. Because this year the bad guy wins.