Well, he is 31 years old. He's bound to lose some athleticism as he gets older. But Jordan lost some of his athleticism after he came back for the second 3-peat and he was still extremely efficient and won two MVP awards and three Finals MVPs.
IMO, Where OP's post is wrong is he did mention is STILL a killer, but he said that was Kobe's last chance to lead a team? and he also mentioned a decline (didn't specify if it was regression in athleticism or as an overall player)
I don't see what you guys see. I just see a smarter player. I think you guys are just hoping this is the case...Good luck with that.
Thanks for stating the obvious there... He is still a killer though. He's having an MVP type season so far.
sure kobe has lost a little athleticism, it's called aging. but we gona act like kobe isn't leading his team to the tune of 33.6 pts and 5.7 rebounds on 48.6% shooting, placing the lakers 2nd in the west with pau gasol out and bynum missing games?
Don´t think he lost too much athleticsm, seeing him do reverse dunks and alleys with ease makes me wonder some of your guys statements. He also didn´t lost his dominance, his recent games showed that very clearly(plus the highlight dunks show a very athletic kobe).
Name one NBA player who was not less athletic at 31 than they were in their early to mid 20s. Answer: there are not any. Some players became more effective/better players after 30 but that was because their skills improved or they took a better mental approach to the game. None of them were as athletic as they were in their primes although the rate of decline varies greatly between players (see Kobe vs. McGrady).
Yea sure but some of the guys are letting it sound like he isn´t athletic now, which is absolutely wrong. He is still one of the most athletic players in the league.
Lets see, who is the most athletic 30 plus year old in the NBA? Athleticism naturally declines with age, who cares if he can't drive as hard or dunk with authority its about production. What will happen to the lebrons and wades in their 30's? We will be saying the same things about them as well.
I agree that he is pretty athletic still. I would say his quickness and leaping ability are still as good or better than about 75% of NBA shooting guards. I don't think he is one of the top tier athletes in the league anymore. Then again, I thought his athleticism was always overrated (which makes his game even more impressive, however). In his prime, Kobe's vertical was 38 inches. That isn't spectacular for an NBA player. I'm not sure if there is any measurement of how fast he was/is but I'll bet it's nothing to write home about either. He's still a great athlete but I expect in two years he will be below average for a guy at his position. Just a fact of aging.
Couldn't agree more. MJ in his days lost his athleticism but that didn't stop him to win all the rings
yeah i guess kobe himself knows this...thats why he has to find other ways to score...not by his athleticism...ala asks hakeem to show him some post moves... btw Jordan did the same during his late years...jordan developed a mid-high post game.
As long as he has his perfect jumpshot, he will lead a team. His jumpshot is pretty much flawless, ala Ray Allen, Reggie Miller.... Kobe will play until his late 30's easily.
