For those who don’t know me, I’m a die-hard Kobe Bryant fan. Naturally, this means I’ve partaken in hundreds of hundreds of thousands of LeBron vs. Kobe arguments. Personally, I don’t even know how there could be an argument about something so painfully obvious, but that’s for another day, another article. Now, ever since I began arguing on Black Mamba’s behalf, Queen James defenders, or Kobe haters, seem to say the same thing when I bring up his hand of rings… They sound something like this:
“If Kobe didn’t have Shaq or Gasol, he’d be just like LeBron without a ring! Shaq did everything! Gasol was the key! Kobe just piggy-backs his big men to his championships!”
or what I hear…
“BRO HE DIDN’T EVEN EARN THOSE FIRST THREE RINGS! THAT WAS ALL SHAQ DUDE! BLAH BLAH HATE I’M DUMB”
Now, before I bring up the stats and the facts to crush this mindless “argument”, can somebody tell me how many rings Shaq won before Kobe? That’s okay, I’ll wait. But this simple fact isn’t enough for most people, so allow me dive into more detail. Let’s take this year by year, ring by ring.
RING 1 (2000):
Before I even discuss the NBA Finals series vs. the Pacers, most of you don’t know how the Lakers got there in the first place. In a pivotal game 7 in the Western Conference Finals against Portland, Bryant led the Lakers (who were down by 15 at the start of the 4th quarter) with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists (to Shaq’s 18 points and 5 rebounds) in the largest 4th quarter comeback in conference finals history.
Also, this happened:
But that’s no big deal, let’s continue.
In the Finals, although Kobe averaged only 16 ppg, it should be noted in game 2 he went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter with only 9 points, hindering his numbers. He also missed game 3, which the Lakers lost…without Kobe. Without Bryant’s defense, Reggie Miller exploded for 33 points (he had only scored 7 points on 1-16 shooting with Bryant guarding him in game 1). Bryant returned in game 4 in dramatic fashion. Shaq fouled out, and Kobe carried the Lakers with 8 points in overtime to win 120-118, finishing with 28 points. In a series-clinching game 6, Kobe led the Lakers with 26 points and 10 rebounds, including the last 4 free throws to secure his first NBA championship at only 22 years old. Bryant not only played a key role offensively, but defensively. To recap, in the two games Kobe missed, the great Reggie Miller scored 35 and 33. And Miller only averaged 24.3 points in the series. Do the math. Sounds like Kobe earned that one right? Thought so. Moving on.
RING 2 (2001):
Kobe’s statistical production climbed, averaging 24.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in a 4-1 series win over Allen Iverson’s 76ers. In this series, Bryant and O’Neal were too much to handle. To keep it brief, they scored 31 & 28, 32 & 30, and 26 & 29, respectively. Also, in game 4 Kobe nearly dropped a triple double (19, 10, and 9) in a comfortable win, and he closed out the Sixers in game 5 with 26 points at only 23 years old. Another ring, another dollar. But that’s still not enough for some people, so lets move on.
RING 3 (2002):
Although the Lakers swept the Nets for their third consecutive championship, this series was a little closer than it looked. Three of the four games were decided by less than 5 points, and Bryant’s clutch performance was to thank for the victories. In game 1, he hit a three with 8 seconds left to secure the win. In game 3, he dropped 36, including 12 points in the 4th quarter, and a jumper with 18 seconds left to seal the deal. In a series-clinching game 4, the Mamba scored 11 of his 25 points in the 4th quarter in a close win to secure his third straight NBA championships (at only 24 years old). Third times the charm for the Kobe Hating Alliance? No, it’s not.
RING 4 (2009): 32.4 points, 7.2 assists, NBA Finals MVP in a 4-1 series win over Orlando. Boom.
RING 5 (2010): 28.6 ppg, 3.9 apg, NBA Finals MVP in a 4-3 series win over Boston. Bitch.
IN CONCLUSION: By no means am I saying that Kobe was the lone reason that the Lakers won three in a row. All I’m saying is, just like “Kobe needed Shaq”, Shaq needed Kobe. His clutch-gene was in full effect in the three years O’Neal and him hoisted the trophy. The stat-watching ESPN “sports experts” need to do a little in-game research before they start saying Kobe didn’t earn his titles. As for ring 4 and ring 5, they speak for themselves. He was the Finals MVP. Kobe Bryant is the man, and his 5 rings were all earned and well-deserved.
Oh and one more thing, how old is LeBron? You said he’s 27 years old? Gotcha. Just wondering.
HOW DO YOU FEEL? Whether you agree or disagree, I’d like to hear why below. Leave a comment below.
quimdigital.com 
I’ve been arguing this with my fellow sports fanatics for YEARS. Hopefully laying it out like this will finally shut the Kobe-haters up.
Posted by Elikem "Quim" Moten | February 20, 2012, 12:20 PMnothing will ever shut us Kobe haters up…we hate him for a reason…We don’t deny he’s good, but he’s way over hyped, and the fact that Kobe lovers go out of there way to say Lebron sucks…is all the more reason to HATE him and HATE him with a Passion!!
– Kobe Hater for LIFE
Posted by De Jay (@FatManAtHeart) | February 21, 2012, 11:12 PMWhy Kobe got that old man beard though?
Posted by Paulos Belay | February 20, 2012, 1:52 PMThis is good and all that, but can he even wear his rings with his arthritis? Old ass man….
Posted by Max Chapman | February 20, 2012, 5:49 PMyou and paulos have to give this a rest man lol
Posted by Gino Borri | February 20, 2012, 7:39 PMShaq did a lot for those championship teams, which is why he got all 3 MVPs. But, without each other, neither of the 3 rings that they won together would be on their fingers.
Posted by Aaron Pociask | February 20, 2012, 6:50 PMWhat he said ^^^
Posted by Gino Borri | February 20, 2012, 7:39 PMKobe is one of the best players in the NBA and his reasons to 5championship rings is not only his great ability to make shots but also he played alongside some great players as well. but I personally don’t think kobe is the best right now .not a hater or anything let’s be real now it aint nothing new from him that we haven’t seen before. Lakers are just aging
Posted by Levi | February 20, 2012, 8:46 PMEy bro. The video you have is not even from the 2000/2001 season. It has Brian Cook/Kareem Rush on that team and Kobe has short hair. #FailAtVideo #GoodArticle
Posted by Attila | February 21, 2012, 11:02 PMI think the only time the “did he earn his rings” discussion comes up is when people foolishly try to compare Kobe to Michael. It is necessary then, because obviously 6 finals MVP’s > 2 finals MVP’s. I’m not sure why anyone would say he didn’t “earn” them otherwise because he clearly did. You failed to mention Shaq’s statistics in the first three also. They read (for the playoffs, I can’t find finals stats) in 2000: 30.7 and 15.4, in 2001: 30.4 and 15.4, 2002: 28.5 and 12.6, oh yeah and 3 Finals MVP’s. Once again, the fact that Kobe was not the best player on his team for the first three rings only matters when comparing him to Michael Jordan (which shouldn’t be a discussion, let’s be realistic.)
Posted by Kevin Fullenkamp | February 21, 2012, 11:33 PMYeah I understand that but the article was about Kobe’s performance. I recognize that Shaq was MVP those years, that was implied, but the purpose was to show the role’s Kobe played in those championships.
Posted by Gino Borri | February 22, 2012, 2:07 AMI totally agree with de jay. Kobe is definitely a top 20 player of all time but will never hold a candle to shaq
Posted by Dale | February 21, 2012, 11:54 PMHow does Kobe not hold a candle to Shaq?! More points all time. More rings all time. Unquestionably second best to EVER play his position. Whereas Shaq has STIFF competition at his position. What else would you like to judge him on?
Posted by Elikem "Quim" Moten | February 22, 2012, 2:04 AMShaq has stiff competition at his position because it includes Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, every one of those guys is top 10 all time, including Shaq. At the two guard you have Michael, Jerry West and George Gervin. The latter two are lucky to be top 25
Posted by Kevin Fullenkamp | February 22, 2012, 8:34 AMI agree with Kevin. You have to look at the big picture Moten. If you give Jerry West or George Gervin a player like shaq how many rings would they win? 5 would not be out of the question
Posted by Dale | February 22, 2012, 11:27 AMI agree with you Quim 100% I have had hundreds of arguments too with friends, family, hookers, and pimps over this topic. I enjoy this site and the great stories/topics that are brought up. We should talk sometime I may have a business proposition for you.
Posted by Brent | February 24, 2012, 5:36 PMWe appreciate the compliment and support Brent. I’d love to hear what else you have to say. Send me an email (QuimDigital@gmail.com).
Posted by Elikem "Quim" Moten | February 26, 2012, 4:32 PMLebron is clearly a better basketball player then kobe. give him a few more years with the big three and he will close in on kobes 5 rings. He doesn’t have the luxory of having a player like robert horry win him 2-3 rings. Not saying he has accomplished more, just saying he is more skilled and better built than kobe. In 10 years this will be a whole different argument.
Posted by Dale | February 27, 2012, 8:04 PMThis article wasn’t a debate between who’s better Kobe or LeBron. It was about Kobe’s championship legacy. Robert Horry, no matter how clutch/lucky he’s been in his career, never has been nor will be accused of being responsible for winning Kobe or Shaq their championships. LeBron is definitely the most physically gifted athlete in the history of the NBA. But to say he’s more skilled than Kobe is incorrect. In 10 years the debate of their resumes may be a different conversation (but I doubt it), or we could still be sitting here wondering why LeBron can’t get it done when it counts.
Posted by Elikem "Quim" Moten | February 27, 2012, 10:04 PMHaving Robert Horry win him 2-3 rings? Really?
Posted by Gino Borri | February 27, 2012, 11:57 PMI hate Kobe, a lot, but in no way did Robert Horry get Kobe 2-3 rings. Come on now
Posted by Kevin Fullenkamp | February 28, 2012, 5:29 PMSome genuinely select content on this website , saved to my bookmarks .
Posted by Grazyna Condi | March 19, 2012, 6:00 AMWell bill Russell has 11 nba championships and he was the best on his team…sit down who cares u can’t say who was better they played at different times had there prime at different times…all of you need to stop and just like the nba cause truth is how u gonna compare Lebron to Kobe when they play different positions…y’all stupid
Posted by Jeff | October 30, 2012, 3:25 PM