I have been a Laker fan since '88 when I first started watching them with my older brother. Magic and Kareem aka showtime era, to magic retiring, to eddie jones, to trading vlade divac and getting Kobe Bryant, through the shaq kobe divorce and now seeing Kobe in his prime.

Watching him develop and grow into the player he is today is amazing. I have tons of friends who are die hard bulls/michael jordan fans and they love to tell me how kobe is nothing compared to jordan and how he is over rated and sucks blah blah blah. But i think when all is said and done and his jersey is hanging from the rafters 10 years from now, he will be considered to be the greatest player to play the game. The only thing keeping kobe from snatching that title right now is the media and number of championship rings (which is still work in progress). 

Kobe sets himself apart from the rest of the league and you always hear about it from other players and coaches. His passion for the game, his work ethic, and competitive drive was and still is inspirational and I really respect that about him. Although I do not play basketball, I try to use the same mindset as kobe when approaching other sports or things in life as well. 

You should always be passionate about what you're doing,work hard, and have goals and strategies. 

I think that is why I like browsing A&D. It is because you get to see small glimpse of artist, actors, athletes with that same passion and watching them grow, develop and succeed. There is a little Kobe Bryant in all of us. haha