Sam 'Kobe' Hartman-Kenzler is an American player who is currently a caster for Riot Games. He used to play as a professional player for Counter Logic Gaming.
Dwight Howard, right, and Jodie Meeks were good friends while on the Lakers. But the same can't be said about Howard and Kobe Bryant. (Facebook/Los Angeles Lakers)
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- It was Howard’s presence in Los Angeles last season that, through a vivid contrast, reminded Lakers fans of how very different Kobe is. Basketball is not just a game, or even a career, to Kobe. Winning is everything for him. He demands near perfection from his teammates because that is what he demands from himself.
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It’s just a game.
Parents and coaches say those words to hundreds of distraught youth athletes every year. It’s an attempt to contextualize the pain that comes with losing a sporting event. There are bigger things to worry about in life than a basketball game, they say, reassuring their sons and daughters that this too shall pass.
They’re right, of course. As you grow and mature, you learn that life offers up much tougher problems than when you came up on the short end of a scoreboard.
In the days since former Lakers center Dwight Howard chose to end his short tenure with the team in favor of signing a free agent contract with the Houston Rockets, many have offered up their opinions on what Howard’s decision revealed about him as a player and as a person.
Shaquille O’Neal, himself once a dominant big man for the Lakers and never one to shy away from criticizing Howard, said the decision was to be expected because “not everyone can handle being under the bright lights” and that “it was a safe move to go to a little town like Houston.”
![Lol Lol](/uploads/1/3/8/4/138405370/881176760.jpg)
Lakers point guard Steve Nash added that Howard had “difficulties assimilating” with the Lakers and “never quite felt comfortable” in Los Angeles. Sports columnists wrote in spaces like this one that Howard’s decision showed him to be insecure and immature.
Ultimately, Howard chose to leave Los Angeles’ longest running soap opera and chalk up his turbulent one season with the NBA’s flagship franchise as a bump in the road of his stellar career.
While many fans and analysts were stunned that someone would leave $30 million in potential earnings on the table and become the biggest free agent prize to ever walk away from the 16-time league champions, Howard’s decision seemed completely logical.
He traded a spot alongside the aging Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol (all over the age of 33) for a chance to play with one of the NBA’s hot young teams—Rockets stars James Harden, Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin are all age 24 or younger.
The Lakers pitched Howard on building his brand in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world, and even offered to have AEG executives help him do so. The Rockets, however, remain wildly popular in Asia because of Lin and former star center Yao Ming, and offer their own unique branding opportunities.
The financial disparity wasn’t as dramatic as the reported $30 million either, since Texas has no state income tax while California takes 10.55% of income over $1 million.
Even if it weren’t for all of the positives that Houston could offer, however, it sure seemed that Howard wanted out of Los Angeles.
It’s this factor, the deciding one in Howard’s decision, that made the Lakers of 2012-2013 such an interesting social experiment, and one that tells us quite a bit about our sporting culture in America.
News reports suggested that during his tour of prospective teams, Howard was put off by star Lakers guard Kobe Bryant’s presentation that Howard first needed to learn how to win a championship and Bryant’s statement that he could teach the center how to do just that. Some media outlets reported that Howard even asked if Bryant’s contract could be amnestied, leaving Howard as the undisputed leader of the Lakers going forward.
Ultimately, Howard wasn’t comfortable with Bryant’s win-at-all-costs mentality.
Howard seems to genuinely enjoy the game of basketball, running up and down the court displaying his infectious smile as he follows up thunderous dunks with blocks swatted into the stands. You get the impression that if he were to play 10 more seasons in the NBA and never win a championship, he would still be okay with his lot in life. Sure, he’s a competitive guy and wants to win, but he seems to understand that basketball ultimately is just a game and that he is extremely fortunate to be paid millions of dollars to throw a ball through a hoop.
Kobe Lol Twitter
It was Howard’s presence in Los Angeles last season that, through a vivid contrast, reminded Lakers fans of how very different Kobe is.
Basketball is not just a game, or even a career, to Kobe. It is life.
Winning is everything for him. He demands near perfection from his teammates because that is what he demands from himself. Sure, he’s already won five NBA titles, but if he doesn’t get at least another to match Michael Jordan, his retirement will be plagued by a nagging feeling of what could have been.
It’s this passion—no, obsession—with excellence that has earned Kobe the respect of players, coaches and fans alike. It’s also Howard’s seeming indifference to victory or defeat that has earned him the scorn of many following his move out of the Los Angeles spotlight.
As we continue to elevate athletes like Kobe and Jordan, who seem to stop at nothing to win, into our sporting heroes, and criticize those like Howard who appear to be playing for the fun of the game, it demands the question: When we tell our kids it’s just a game and that winning isn’t everything, do we really believe it?
Jonathan Kendrick is a Contributing Writer for Living Out Loud - LA, covering lifestyle and sports. Follow him on Twitter: @jjkendrick
![Team Team](/uploads/1/3/8/4/138405370/794284103.jpg)
Dwight Howard, right, and Jodie Meeks were good friends while on the Lakers. But the same can't be said about Howard and Kobe Bryant. (Facebook/Los Angeles Lakers)
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Kobe Lola
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Team Kobe Gaming
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It’s just a game.
Parents and coaches say those words to hundreds of distraught youth athletes every year. It’s an attempt to contextualize the pain that comes with losing a sporting event. There are bigger things to worry about in life than a basketball game, they say, reassuring their sons and daughters that this too shall pass.
They’re right, of course. As you grow and mature, you learn that life offers up much tougher problems than when you came up on the short end of a scoreboard.
In the days since former Lakers center Dwight Howard chose to end his short tenure with the team in favor of signing a free agent contract with the Houston Rockets, many have offered up their opinions on what Howard’s decision revealed about him as a player and as a person.
Shaquille O’Neal, himself once a dominant big man for the Lakers and never one to shy away from criticizing Howard, said the decision was to be expected because “not everyone can handle being under the bright lights” and that “it was a safe move to go to a little town like Houston.”
Lakers point guard Steve Nash added that Howard had “difficulties assimilating” with the Lakers and “never quite felt comfortable” in Los Angeles. Sports columnists wrote in spaces like this one that Howard’s decision showed him to be insecure and immature.
Ultimately, Howard chose to leave Los Angeles’ longest running soap opera and chalk up his turbulent one season with the NBA’s flagship franchise as a bump in the road of his stellar career.
While many fans and analysts were stunned that someone would leave $30 million in potential earnings on the table and become the biggest free agent prize to ever walk away from the 16-time league champions, Howard’s decision seemed completely logical.
He traded a spot alongside the aging Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol (all over the age of 33) for a chance to play with one of the NBA’s hot young teams—Rockets stars James Harden, Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin are all age 24 or younger.
The Lakers pitched Howard on building his brand in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world, and even offered to have AEG executives help him do so. The Rockets, however, remain wildly popular in Asia because of Lin and former star center Yao Ming, and offer their own unique branding opportunities.
The financial disparity wasn’t as dramatic as the reported $30 million either, since Texas has no state income tax while California takes 10.55% of income over $1 million.
Even if it weren’t for all of the positives that Houston could offer, however, it sure seemed that Howard wanted out of Los Angeles.
It’s this factor, the deciding one in Howard’s decision, that made the Lakers of 2012-2013 such an interesting social experiment, and one that tells us quite a bit about our sporting culture in America.
News reports suggested that during his tour of prospective teams, Howard was put off by star Lakers guard Kobe Bryant’s presentation that Howard first needed to learn how to win a championship and Bryant’s statement that he could teach the center how to do just that. Some media outlets reported that Howard even asked if Bryant’s contract could be amnestied, leaving Howard as the undisputed leader of the Lakers going forward.
Ultimately, Howard wasn’t comfortable with Bryant’s win-at-all-costs mentality.
Kobe Lol Twitter
Howard seems to genuinely enjoy the game of basketball, running up and down the court displaying his infectious smile as he follows up thunderous dunks with blocks swatted into the stands. You get the impression that if he were to play 10 more seasons in the NBA and never win a championship, he would still be okay with his lot in life. Sure, he’s a competitive guy and wants to win, but he seems to understand that basketball ultimately is just a game and that he is extremely fortunate to be paid millions of dollars to throw a ball through a hoop.
It was Howard’s presence in Los Angeles last season that, through a vivid contrast, reminded Lakers fans of how very different Kobe is.
Basketball is not just a game, or even a career, to Kobe. It is life.
Winning is everything for him. He demands near perfection from his teammates because that is what he demands from himself. Sure, he’s already won five NBA titles, but if he doesn’t get at least another to match Michael Jordan, his retirement will be plagued by a nagging feeling of what could have been.
It’s this passion—no, obsession—with excellence that has earned Kobe the respect of players, coaches and fans alike. It’s also Howard’s seeming indifference to victory or defeat that has earned him the scorn of many following his move out of the Los Angeles spotlight.
As we continue to elevate athletes like Kobe and Jordan, who seem to stop at nothing to win, into our sporting heroes, and criticize those like Howard who appear to be playing for the fun of the game, it demands the question: When we tell our kids it’s just a game and that winning isn’t everything, do we really believe it?
Jonathan Kendrick is a Contributing Writer for Living Out Loud - LA, covering lifestyle and sports. Follow him on Twitter: @jjkendrick