How good would Kobe have been without bad knees?

[eliteballer]

People don't realize that Kobe was basically playing on one knee from his mid 20's on. He had knee surgeries in the summers of 2003, 2006, and 2010 (Apparently on the same knee).

Jordan referred Kobe to Grover in the summer of 2007 because Kobe told him his knees were in extreme pain. Tim Grover talks about it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG6ZU-Azttc

Oddly enough both Kobe (interview on youtube asking him about #8 vs #24) and Jordan (Kobe relating a story about Jordan talking about 03 Kobe vs 91 Jordan) thought 2003 Kobe was the peak version of Kobe (24 years old)

Ironically these problems all started when he bulked up in 2003 and 2005. I noticed the same thing happened to McGrady after bulking up when he went to Houston.

This is Kobe talking about the 2006 season when he averaged 35 ppg, but was clearly not performing at the same level of athleticism of prior seasons (just look at his dunks that season). 2004 even more of an exception when he didn't have a chance to rehab from knee and shoulder surgeries the summer before:

It was common knowledge that Bryant's knee bothered him last season, but apparently more than he let on.

"It took me 45 minutes to warm up for practice and games. It was crazy," he recalled. "It was very sore, you just played around it. I couldn't attack, put pressure on the defense the way I wanted to."

https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=2597017

This is from the 2011 season, talking about the 2010 playoffs:

How did Kobe propose to pull that off, a Lakers’ legionnaire wondered, ‘when he hasn’t practiced the whole season (something no member of LA’s press has called him out on)?” Is that true, I asked Kobe? ‘Yeah.’ Why? ‘Because I have very little cartilage under my right knee cap, it’s almost bone on bone.’

Bryant has undergone three operations on that same knee, one this past offseason, after having it drained several times during last year’s playoffs. ”Until I got it drained the first time during the opening round against the Thunder I could not bend that knee at all,’ he revealed.

https://www.slamonline.com/archives/...-bone-on-bone/

https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/k...y-bone-on-bone

Especially when you look at Kobe from 2007 on, he was really a shell of what he was athletically in 2003. 2003 Kobe (24 years old) and prior was blowing by guys like Vince Carter and T-Mac like they weren't there.

This is 24 year old Kobe vs 24/25 year old Jordan (Kobe is probably about 20-25 lbs heavier. He actually seemed to lose some speed and leaping from prior seasons):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS3iJ20Q4bg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7I_ntPTG8o

Similar discussion here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comment..._knee_surgery/

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comment...lays_his_full/

[ArbitraryWater]

I think without it hes definitely the BITW at some point and wins some MVP‘s, if it already restricted him so much 2005-07.

[warriorfan]

It’s a cliche term but it’s real with Kobe, he had more of a will to win than anyone else.

I hate the Lakers but even then I eventually had to come around and pay some respect.

[ImKobe]

He would've been the best player in the world for longer and would've been able to contend for titles in '11-'13 and on. It wasn't just the knees, he had a ton of other injuries that he was constantly playing through. Shoulder surgery in '03, ankle injuries throughout the 2000s into the early 2010s, torn ligament in his wrist in his shooting hand in 2012, shin injury the same year with him going to games in a walking boot etc..

[warriorfan]

He would've been the best player in the world for longer and would've been able to contend for titles in '11-'13 and on. It wasn't just the knees, he had a ton of other injuries that he was constantly playing through. Shoulder surgery in '03, ankle injuries throughout the 2000s into the early 2010s, torn ligament in his wrist in his shooting hand in 2012, shin injury the same year with him going to games in a walking boot etc..

He limped through 2010 and was just done physically after that.

[ReturnofJPR]

I can’t believe a laker fan is asking this question. They must be from Minnesota, the land of ten thousand lakes thus the lakers, or she lost a bet. She lost an avatar bet, that’s what it is Betty. Kobe existed in a vacuum and was related to Egyptian pharaohs like Aaliyah. Both were sacrificed for another’s gain and wealth. Kobe was the last assassin that lived on the basketball court. He shouldn’t have taken a helicopter to beat LA traffic. Now LeBronze, remember the clown that got USA a bronze medal in the Olympics, existed out of a vacuum. He was simply filling a void of thousands of beat writers and camera men that got jobs cuz of Jordan so they had to hype the bald ninja up. Kobe was the last real one and when the public mourned, the dark forces were able to harness that energy and profit off of the man’s death. The wnba plays more physical than the nba does today. Kobe was the last real one to ever live.

[ReturnofJPR]

ISH used to have a green light below a posters name to see if they were online or not, ISH owner Jeff getting cheap by taking that away and with all of the ads. Must be a crack addict or a gambling fiend. He used to post before he went to jit camp in Florida and prison on rikers island 2 years later.

[eliteballer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqeb1blrjcA

[ReturnofJPR]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqeb1blrjcA

See see what a God

[ArbitraryWater]

Kobe was the type of dude to say he loved old school physical defense and then complained and screamed whenever he faced it

[warriorfan]

Kobe was the type of dude to say he loved old school physical defense and then complained and screamed whenever he faced it

Kobe Bryant would have literally raped you and you would have complained to your school nurse and ask for an ice pack

[warriorfan]

Kobe was the type of dude to say he loved old school physical defense and then complained and screamed whenever he faced it

Kobe Bryant would have literally raped you and you would have complained to your school nurse and ask for an ice pack

[Indian guy]

OP's been on this Kobe-has-played-his-whole-career-hurt schtick for almost 20 years now lol

This is Kobe talking about the 2006 season when he averaged 35 ppg, but was clearly not performing at the same level of athleticism of prior seasons (just look at his dunks that season).

2006 Kobe was also 27 years old and nobody's in their athletic prime by their late 20's. Basketball prime, sure, but physical prime is almost always in that 23-25 range. Kobe's body peaked at 24 in 2003 and gradually declined after that, as is the case with every other player.

Watch LeBron at 24 (2009) and then follow it up with him at 27 (2012) and you wouldn't even think it was the same human being. This is the trajectory EVERY player's body follows. Nothing odd about how Kobe aged. He peaked physically in that 23-25 range and clearly peaked as player in that 27-29 range.

Especially when you look at Kobe from 2007 on, he was really a shell of what he was athletically in 2003. 2003 Kobe (24 years old) and prior was blowing by guys like Vince Carter and T-Mac like they weren't there.

Plenty of blow bys in this 2007 playoff game

Heck, even in 2009 at age 30 Kobe was getting past the first line of defense at will. He was always blessed with amazing quickness. Does it compare to 2003 Kobe? No, but it shouldn't. Late 20's or 30 is simply not the same as being 24.

[eliteballer]

OP's been on this Kobe-has-played-his-whole-career-hurt schtick for almost 20 years now lol



2006 Kobe was also 27 years old and nobody's in their athletic prime by their late 20's. Basketball prime, sure, but physical prime is almost always in that 23-25 range. Kobe's body peaked at 24 in 2003 and gradually declined after that, as is the case with every other player.

Watch LeBron at 24 (2009) and then follow it up with him at 27 (2012) and you wouldn't even think it was the same human being. This is the trajectory EVERY player's body follows. Nothing odd about how Kobe aged. He peaked physically in that 23-25 range and clearly peaked as player in that 27-29 range.



Plenty of blow bys in this 2007 playoff game

Heck, even in 2009 at age 30 Kobe was getting past the first line of defense at will. He was always blessed with amazing quickness. Does it compare to 2003 Kobe? No, but it shouldn't. Late 20's or 30 is simply not the same as being 24.

He has 3 document surgeries on the SAME knee. Stop the spin.

Guess your still bitter that he left T-Mac in the dust all those years ago.

[iamgine]

Bad knees might prompt him to work harder on other skills so he could be worse without bad knees.