Yahoo Article: Kobe Bryant is still more unlikeable than Lebron James

[Killakobe81]

Venti, is that real T-shirt, and if it is, do you know where I can find it? Even if it's in a run-down swap meet in L.A. ...I got fam all over Cali ...let me know.

[Venti Quattro]

Been looking for the shirt too. But so far all I've found are pictures of it

[Killakobe81]

If a player is hyped, he is almost always hated, whether the hate is justified or not.

There are exceptions to this, Jordan and Peyton Manning come to mind. But Peyton has never had the charisma to elevate himself to a cultural icon, and Jordan was the complete opposite. He pioneered the modern day athlete, and cultivated his image as a "sure thing" so artfully that it changed the way every single sport is broadcast. He made the individual bigger than the team, even though he functioned within the team set.

Almost any player who ascends to that height of being "bigger than the team" is reviled across the league, even if they don't have a single conviction on their record. Shaq is hated by many NBA fans, so is Duncan, so are Wade and LeBron, especially now that they are on the same team.

There's a tendency in America to hate the favorite, and that plays a lot into the hate for Kobe that fuels fans. Because the media takes this hype and milks it for all it's worth, until you can't turn on Sportscenter without seeing the face of one of the super-athletes. And just like a song on the radio you've heard for the 3rd time this hour, it's natural to get sick of that kind of familiarity. Kobe's problem is that he gave people plenty of reasons to justify that hate.

Great post Havoc, glad to see you back in the forums every now and then.
Agree 100%. Kobe is hated partly due to media hype (this place and many other forums, went nuts when Jackson dared compare Kobe to MJ) and partly due to Kobe being an arrogant prick, especially compared to durant or duncan type stars. However Lebron is an arrogant prick as well ...so glad his true colors revealed themselves ...with the Lebacle.I was not glad because of any issues, with Lebron I just prefer the kobe /Lebron debate me more about ball and les rather than, Kobe hate. Mj was also a prick but protected his image pretty damn well, until recent years (HOF speech being an example). Either way those 3 are probably the best wings i have seen in my lifetime and nothing they do off the court changes it. if Lebron contines to develop his game he has a chance to eclipse the legacy of both, regardless of what you think of "The Decision" ...

[Ashy Larry]

I wonder if they counted the Chinese vote in that poll .....

[lefty]

Kobe seems like a . Seems like he might be fun to hang out with if you don't get to know him too personally and you're just having a few drinks with the guy and joking around. But he comes across as the type of guy who is a jerk of a person if you get to know him on a deeper level than that. At least to me, it seems that way.

But I don't think he was hated that much by most before Colorado. I think that specific incident and the story about him snitching on Shaq are by far the main two reasons he's hated. Before that, he was a very likable guy. Had the all American image with the McDonald's and Sprite commercials, the big smile, and being well spoken. Colorado is what did him in. There are other things to hate on him for, but Colorado has to be the main reason for most of his haters. Even when people hate on him for other things, they'll have to throw in a jab about him being a rapist.

Does seem like the hate is not on a global scale, as we saw in the 2008 Olympics and reports were that he was by far the most popular player on the basketball team with Chinese fans and other Olympians. He's gotten some of his likability back.

As far as most hated NBA player in history, hard to imagine that being true. Nearly every NBA stadium, there are Laker fans chanting MVP to Kobe the last couple seasons. Outside of Utah, Karl Malone was really hated. Bill Laimbeer was one of the most hated players ever by fans around the league. You could even throw in Ron Artest into the discussion. Kobe has plenty of haters, but to suggest he's the most hated by fans in NBA history. Well that seems like quite an exaggeration.

I hated him before the raping incident

He was (still is) a selfish bas

Remember the 00-01 regular season when he was taking 99% of the Lakers shots?

Or that season (03-04) when he tried hard to beat Jordan's record of consecutive 40+ pt games


him

[Rummpd]

Kobe I dislike, James I really despise - not sure why, I just hate the part about being a King when he has not won anything.

[HarlemHeat37]

TBH, the majority of people that dislike Lebron don't actually know why, so you'll fit right in..

[diego]

His foreign policy was unmatached

please tell me you are trolling

and its not a matter of getting caught, its a matter of doing right, or at the very least, doing what you said you would. nixon.

[Steve Kerr]

Though Clinton is the lone duly elected U.S. President to have his ass IMPEACHED.

Andrew Johnson?

And everyone knows Nixon resigned to save himself from impeachment.

[Steve Kerr]

God, I can just see a bunch of fat s walking around in this shirt. It's such a giant stereotype lakerfan continues to promote.

[Killakobe81]

LOL I am not hispanic. But don't see why that matters ...i think the shirt is funny and it perfectly captures why i chose my name on here. Kobe is not my favorite Laker by a long shot, but i chose it to respond to haters, and it is also my gamertag on XBOX Live and PSN ...

[Steve Kerr]

LOL I am not hispanic. But don't see why that matters ...i think the shirt is funny and it perfectly captures why i chose my name on here. Kobe is not my favorite Laker by a long shot, but i chose it to respond to haters, and it is also my gamertag on XBOX Live and PSN ...

I wasn't talking about you, I was talking about the countless Laker ks in Phoenix who walk around with shirts similar to this as if the Lakers accomplishments are something they should flaunt around and take pride in. I guess when you're a useless no one gives a about you gotta coattail ride something else.

[Giuseppe]

and its not a matter of getting caught, its a matter of doing right, or at the very least, doing what you said you would. nixon.

But, the fact remains Bill Clinton is the lone duly elected U.S. President to be IMPEACHED.

[Koolaid_Man]

But, the fact remains Bill Clinton is the lone duly elected U.S. President to be IMPEACHED.

but nobody died when Clinton lied....

He's was the Pres...he could have had mad orgies in that ( the White House) for all I care...

[Giuseppe]

Oh, that Lewinski was a chubby little rascal, I'll admit. I bet she had a big beaver on her.

[Man In Black]

Maybe it's because he failed miserably as a Rap Artist?

See...he doesn't win at everything. Plus, there is this street thing where he acts it, but unlike many of the other players, he didn't live it. He never lived it unless of course, digs provided by Il Messagero in Italy are the projects. Same goes for Philly. Living in the Main Line District, The most prestigious area of the Philadelphia suburbs, Kobe has said the following:

In a Los Angeles Times profile Bryant recalled that time: "It was kind of strange because, being away, I didn't know a lot of the slang that kids used. Kids would come up to me and say whatever, and I'd just nod."

It's like everything with him has been calculated. His dad wished for these accolades, passed the dream to his son, and his son is living them. Has game? Sure, but like his dad, he's just as domineering and whiny, but unlike his dad, he's a bona fide star.

[ezau]

It's actually a known fact that Kobe doesn't have a lot of friends in the NBA, except some of his teammates. Yeah sure, you can argue that it gives him a compe ive edge when he plays. However, as the end of his career nears, he'll have to accept the reality that he will be dealing with regular people on a daily basis. What will Kobe Bean Bryant do when he's reduced to a regular dude? I don't see him coaching because with his dominant personality, his players will hate him. Bryant will be an obscure afterthought once the Durants and the Lebrons of the world inherit the league.

[ezau]

Maybe it's because he failed miserably as a Rap Artist?

See...he doesn't win at everything. Plus, there is this street thing where he acts it, but unlike many of the other players, he didn't live it. He never lived it unless of course, digs provided by Il Messagero in Italy are the projects. Same goes for Philly. Living in the Main Line District, The most prestigious area of the Philadelphia suburbs, Kobe has said the following:

It's like everything with him has been calculated. His dad wished for these accolades, passed the dream to his son, and his son is living them. Has game? Sure, but like his dad, he's just as domineering and whiny, but unlike his dad, he's a bona fide star.

The calculation misfired when he went to Colorado, tee, hee.

[Giuseppe]

^^^Let us face it:::if it hadn't a been for Colorado he woulda never stepped foot one out of his sphere. That event forced him to come down and mingle with the hordes. [That] was probably the worst part of the Eagle event/having to buckle & knuckle, get his black on, own up to his heritage/use it to safeguard his hide.

I'll give Bryant his due though:::in the intervening years (5?) that stuck up bas has managed to turn his back on his race, his nose back up in the air, and portend "it" like never happened.

He's always begrudged his teammates their success. , it took Herculean effort for him to shovel there at the end to Artest. The sad part? Kobe, in his heart resented the result.

He's something else again.

[Latarian Milton]

class jealousy is the source of all hatred. imho residents living in bigger cities are often envied by those rustics from small towns. if NYC has such an syndicated superstar like Kobe he would be hated as much if not more. LA is the big city that has a superb basketball club tahts why the lakers in general are hated, while the clubs based in other big cities are no more than scrubs in this league hence are fortunately free from opprobrium.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

but nobody died when Clinton lied....

He's was the Pres...he could have had mad orgies in that ( the White House) for all I care...

A president who is good for the country but s women on the side >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> a president who is faithful to his friend killer wife but lies the country into wars

[Koolaid_Man]

Kobe Bryant is still more unlikeable than Lebron James

For a long time, people loved LeBron James(notes). Totally loved him in a non-platonic way (for the most part). At the same time, Kobe Bryant(notes) has been one of the most hated players in the NBA for the past few seasons. But it is funny how a summer can change things.

Now, after LeBron's decision and "The Decision," more and more people dislike LeBron James. Whether they think he's a coward, a jerk or just has a bad beard, the LeBron James train has less and less people enjoying its complimentary peanuts. And while LeBron has been busy making people angry, Kobe has been enjoying a great run that has seen him win an Olympic gold medal and two straight les while staying out of headlines for anything bad. The tables have turned.

Or so you'd think. But according to Q Scores revealed by CNBC's Darren Rovell, some things will never change.

In January 2010, The Q Scores Company took a poll of the general population and found that 24 percent of people thought of James in a positive light, compared to a 22 percent negative opinion.
Henry Schafer, executive vice president of the company, told CNBC that the average sports personality has a 15 percent positive score and a 24 percent negative score.
"LeBron's positive score at that time was the highest we had ever seen it," Schafer said.
But since "The Decision" show on July 8, things have gone seriously downhill for the NBA star.
LeBron's Q Score today?
Schafer says that now only 14 percent of the general population see him as a positive figure, a 41.6 percent drop, while 39 percent view him in a negative light, a 77 percent decline.
In fact, LeBron is now the sixth most disliked sports personality, according to The Q Score Company, behind Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Kobe Bryant.

It's close, and actually Kobe is more well-liked — according to Steven Levitt at Q Scores, Kobe's positive score of 16 and negative score of 40 are close to LeBron's scores of 14 and 39 — but people still dislike Kobe more than LeBron. All is right with the world and nothing has changed. Well, except that a whole lot of people dislike LeBron James right now. That part has changed, for sure.

Not to mention, the extent to which people dislike LeBron James is kind of amazing. They dislike him so much that it's affecting how much they like his new teammates. As Rovell notes, both Chris Bosh(notes) and Dwyane Wade(notes) have seen their positive scores fall and their negative scores rise. Makes sense, and it's good to see that LeBron is already changing the culture of basketball in Miami.

On the other hand, after a great two year run, this proves that there's really nothing Kobe Bryant can do that will make him well-liked to fans. It doesn't seem like he minds that, at all, but it's still interesting that changing teams like LeBron did kills his popularity while becoming one of the biggest winners in the NBA has had no effect on most people's view of Kobe. I don't think that's a problem for the Mamba, but I do think that's a problem for LeBron and it might be tough for him to realize that championships don't equal adulation.

Hey ...the real plain jane reason Kobe is not liked is simple...

He's shown that he's immune to the criticisms. Normal people like to think that there's power in numbers and if they hate Kobe with sheer numbers and repeat his faults over and over it will wear him down and he's bound to crack and be like "us". For Kobe....Wrong..

Kobe not only defied the media and public, and Shaq (especially after Colorado) but he excelled and thrived to an excessive degree. In most people's mind he was supposed to fold and go away under the intense public pressure and possible jail time...but he didn't. He got stronger and stronger and the hate grew more and more as the complaints grew louder and louder. Kobe never truly faltered...and through it all he's on the brink of supplanting Magic and surpassing MJ...and he still never cracked..this negro never flinched...he's shown composure and it's just not supposed to be this way..

Against All Odds Kobe did, is doing, and will accomplish the inevitable and sit alone atop the basketball world as the greatest player the NBA has ever known...


Keep Hating... it's the only reason he can do what he does...

Koolaid Gone Keep Repping and Sportin That Banner Proud!!!

[crc21209]

Hating Kobe has nothing to do with his "legacy"..I've hated him forever, and my hate hasn't grew since he started winning again, it doesn't make a difference to me..

Kobe is probably the most unlikable player in sports history IMO..being a rapist and proven snitch is obviously at the top of the list, but the list is very long, including on-court behavior, incidents with teammates, off-court incidents, quitting and pretty much anything negative that you can think of..

Winning has made a huge difference though, particularly with Kobe's legacy..it hasn't made him more likable, but it has made the media overrate and heavily inflate his legacy and career, so it has definitely had a huge part..

Spot on.

[Giuseppe]

I smell skunk.

[HarlemHeat37]

Remember when Culbear and Luva got into an argument a few months ago?....you were in panic mode, Cub..