The Phenom: Kobe Bryant The Final Chapter

Just as cracks started to show in the Phenom picture perfect image the unthinkable happens. The Phenom is accused of rape and not just any rape but a rape of a white woman. The all-American Phenom has been exposed at worse a rapist at best an adulterer. Making things more complicated the Phenom breaks a cardinal rule among athletes and exposes his "50 Cent" teammate to the police for some of his female transgressions. At this point the public as well as the entire NBA has turned on the Phenom once considered the "Air" apparent the skeletons have come falling out of the closet. The Phenom is public enemy #1. Sponsors go away, teammates become cold, the coach wants to trade him, the Big Brother takes shots in the media, the Video Vixen wife contemplates divorce and a life is prison is a definite possibly.

Production Assistant: Men are dogs.

RL: Wait it gets better.

Something in the Phenom changed no longer consider "a good guy" he embraced his "Darkside". No longer burden by trying to keep his pristine image he shows up at training camp with a looming rape case and a whole lot of attitude. Tattoos all over his bodies, whining to the media about his perceive lack of respect from his "50 Cent" teammate and literally pissing everyone off around him.

In the midst of all that the Phenom's team excels even though the chemistry is worse than any movie set that includes Lindsey Lohan. In the middle of a season the Phenom accuses his closet friend (actually his only friend on the team) on the team of trying to proposition his Video Vixen wife. The words the Phenom used to describe the situation were:

"He told my wife he was going hunting for Mexican girls tonight"

The Phenom wife just happened to be Hispanic.

Production Assistant: Wow.

RL: She is pretty hot I probably would have tried to holla too, but maybe through MySpace notes.

The fracture team went on all the way to the NBA Finals where they were exposed for exactly what they were a team which really wasn't a team, but a collection of individuals poisoned by there own selfishness. So while they were a heavy favorite they easily went down in the defeat with the Phenom gunning for glory but shooting blanks.

With his rape case still looming the franchise had to make a decision stick with the Phenom who was deemed by his own coach as a "cancer" or pay the "50 Cent" who had lead them to multiple championships. The Phenom made it clear there was no wiggle room either he was going to be the MAN or he was going to be the MAN elsewhere.

The franchise took a chance and chose the Phenom over the Hall of Fame coach and the Bigger than life figure that bought them back to glory and crossed their fingers that the Phenom would be able to get out of his legal entanglement and become the leader on the court he always strived to be.

On Sept 2nd 2004 the Phenom caught his biggest break of his life when his rape case was dismissed because for lack of a better term his accuser had issues. No one really knows what happened, but the fact was he was free and clear to be the MAN. There were not any more excuses. "50 Cent" was gone, the Coach who despised him was gone, his rape case was gone, and he had one of the richest contracts in the history of the league and through it all his video vixen wife stayed by his side.

Production Assistant: Do you think he was innocent?

RL: Never mind.

Things were set up perfectly for the Phenom to make his resurgence his renaissance, but sometimes we have to be careful what we wished for. The Phenom was now the man, but surrounded with players and a coach who were in over their head he finally realized what people have been trying to tell him for years that you can't do everything by yourself you need help. As the Phenom suffered through the worse and most disappointing season of his career something finally clicked. It clicked that to be a true success you have to be willing to share the spotlight and more importantly help others become successful.

Slowly but surely things started to change for the Phenom the coach who once stated he was was not coachable came back. The players who the franchise got back from getting rid of "50 Cent" started to play better, but more importantly than all of that The Phenom with through a stunning transformation.

An up and coming Sports Journalist came up with a nickname for the transformation which became part of mainstream culture. Here is what he had to say:

"Darth Phenom still gives the standard answers when talking to the media, but everyone
including The Phenom knows he is lying. You can see it in his eyes, that "I don't give a f*ck" look. You have to be a little crazy to score 81 points in an NBA game. You have to be a little crazy to go through what he has went through and still act like it didn't faze you. The Phenom you see now is choking opponents by just using the force. He is carrying a recreational team to a possible playoff season. The hate still exists, but it only fuels the fire. They used to say The Phenom was soft and now he is getting suspended for busting players in the grill. No one knows what the future holds for The Phenom, but one thing we do know he won't come up short for lack of desire.

The era Darth Phenom is in full force and as the hate and jealousy continues to flow he will continue to get stronger. I for one embrace Darth Phenom because this is who he has always been. From the time he kicked his high school sweetheart to the curb for Brandy, to dry humping white girls in Colorado and to dropping a "T.O." on the league this is who he is and it is scary what a man can do when he can look in the mirror and the reflection is the real you."

Production Assistant: That writer is a little over the top.

RL: *Stares*

But if there was one thing The Phenom lacked was patience. While he was playing at an MVP level but his teammates left a lot to be desire. The Phenom felt that his prime years were being wasted, that he was lied to by management and started to lash out.

First showing up on YouTube calling out a teammate, then all over the airwaves demanding a trade and stating his GM wasn't qualified to handle his position. What The Phenom didn't realize was the same organization he was bashing was the same organization that gave him 119 million dollars when he could have been sentence to prison. The same organizations that choose "The Game" over "50 Cent" and then watch "50 Cent" win a championship with "Kanye West". The same organization that stood by him for 10 years through all his ups and his downs.

The Phenom didn't care about any of that he wanted out and the organization had a deal on the table to grant him his wish.

But the team in question did not want to give up a certain player and that killed the deal so The Phenom walked into his home arena for the first game of the year and was:

Boooooed!!!!

Production Assistant: He deserved to get booed he was being very ungrateful. Is this about Reggie Bush and Kim Kardashian?

Production Assistant: Oh.

Loudly, continuously and unmercifully. The Phenom who always enjoyed the comfort of his home arena was dumbfounded, but he did what he always did when he was back into a corner he came out shooting. By the end of the game boos became cheers and what appear to be the final chapter of this Hollywood tale was about to come to an end.

The Phenom's team took off specifically because of the player he criticize in the infamous YouTube video became a giant. This was the team he had always dreamed of having with him being the central figure. Even after the player he criticize got injured the GM he criticize made a masterful trade that kept them at contender status. The whole time The Phenom played brilliantly the best of his career. Terms that were never used before to describe his play and his personality was raining down like a hurricane:

"Unselfish"
"Team Player"
"One of the Guys"
"Our Leader"

The Phenom and his team races through the playoffs. The Phenom is named the MVP. He makes it to the NBA Finals where it appeared everything is in line for that perfect Hollywood ending. The Phenom wins the ring, says he is going to Disney world with his Video vixen wife, kids by his side, proves all his critics wrong and shows the world he can lead a team by himself to the Championship.

But a funny thing happens on his way to glory and immortal status:

He loses.

Production Assistant: Is that the ending? What happens next? Does he ever win a championship? Does he ever prove his critics wrong? Does he ever get the happy Hollywood ending?

RL: *Silence*

Follow Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers on their quest for the 2008-09 NBA Title.

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