March 22nd, 2007 I witnessed one of the greatest spectacles in modern sports history. As the new PA announcer for the Memphis Grizzlies I have received money, notoriety, a great seat to every home game and a place to hang at night without worrying about getting into trouble. But of all the gifts this position has afforded me the most outstanding by far was wrapped in purple and gold. Scan every sport in this world and you will be hard pressed to find a more astounding feat than what number 24 was able to put together in one short week. Many see what he's doing as something new and unbelievable while I see it and say 'finally they all know'. It's no wonder to me, Phil, Kobe and a few others that he's been able to defy defenses as he has. I have been preaching that sermon to deaf audiences for years. At last the doubters understand one of the few absolutes in sports today, when Kobe wants to score there's little if anything anyone can do to stop him. I've never been the 'Kobe is the next Jordan' type. I have been the Kobe is 'closest thing to MJ we may ever see' type. The fact is Jordan was a cultural revolution. He changed the way we view sports. Not just basketball. Kobe is not reshaping the world but he is reigniting that passion and intrigue for basketball that was born in the the mid eighties and rocketed through the 90's. He is the best the NBA has to offer in one player.
I used to think I was alone in admiring Bryant. It seemed every where I went people would express open disdain for him. They would scoff at me for daring to wear his jersey or for claiming him to be the apex of the NBA's elite. Then he came to town and FedEx Forum nearly sold out. There were three near sellouts in the Grizzlies dismal season and Kobe accounted for two of them. The latest one happened in the middle of a sweet sixteen game with Memphis' beloved U of M Tigers (which every Memphian knows the Tigers are everything in this city). It's clear to me that while it is unpopular to publicly declare his on court brilliance, it is equally unpopular to embrace the reality that, in today's game, no one does it better. So this is my farewell to the Kobe Bean Bryant soapbox. I no longer have to lead the one man charge to defend Kobe as the league's best. If you don't realize it by now you are just a stubborn hater. I will enjoy the rest of his career in silence from this day forward. It's been a long, arduous journey but worth every step. Play on player!