That Man. That Bryant.

Up to several years ago, people would always ask me why. Why I was a Kobe Bryant fan when the Lakers suck (that is debatable). How I could be a Michael Jordan fan and Kobe Bryant fan at the same time (yes, the latter certainly isn't the former). And how that could happen when I never root for Western Conference teams (when I'm an avowed Eastern hoops guy).

The simple answers are one -- I think he is one helluva ballplayer. The domain of my criteria centers around his game. Pure and simple. It has nothing to do with his private life, his being Most Wanted in Colorado, his former petulant self or whatnot. It's his game. Two -- it helped that the Lakers became a refugee from those fleeing Chicago -- Phil Jackson, Tex Winter, Frank Hamblem, Jim Cleamons (though he played with the Lakers along with some dude named Pat Riley), John Salley, Dennis Rodman, and Ron Harper. They almost got Scottie Pippen too! Plus, they ran the triangle offense. The midwest team went west!

Michael Jordan, like Tiger Woods, had a Madison Avenue-created personality for the blind consumption of the masses. Sam Smith and Michael Leahy pretty much gave an accurate portrayal of the man who was changed by his fame and fortune but that doesn't stop me from being a fan. I buy sports mags that still use him as a cover subject (SLAM being the latest). And if I still played hoops regularly I'd still be buying Air Jordans. I used to have a massive collection you know (I only have the III, VII, and XI left).

I've watch Kobe ball in Staples, the Garden, the Garden State, and the Wachovia. It's only in New Jersey where I got to sit anywhere down close since no one watched the Nets when they were dreadful -- oh yeah, they still are. The rest of the time I was up in the nosebleed section.

But the buzz. I will always remember the buzz every time he got the ball. Sort of like MJ did. There's a sense of anticipation as to what he will do when he gets the rock. Will he embarrass anyone with an in your face slam? Will he stick a j on his man? Or dish some pass that's so dope you'd think Magic was back.

I have a shirt that says, "Beat LA." And I root for the Boston Celtics to beat the Lakers (though it's difficult since I'm a fan of Kobe). It's a misnomer that LA fans are not knowledgeable or even fanatic. That's an accusation that is borne out of the team playing in Tinseltown with its denizens who mug for cameras and pine for attention. If that is so, they aren't alone. I live in New York and that is no different from these guys who drops their pants and waddle around Times Square in their boxers while sucking their thumbs. They were seeking attention like that Naked Cowboy and the tourists oblige while the natives really don't give a crap. That's New York.

Except this isn't. It's about Kobe. Him with the assassin's creed and ruthlessness not seen since MJ was killing off every comer in town (Magic, Clyde, Barkley, the Glove, and that trucking service out of Utah known as Stockton and Malone). He did the same in the international stage against Spain and Croatia. And now Mamba, has five NBA titles and one Olympic Gold.

The comparisons with MJ ended in 2008 but the incredible thing is Kobe keeps on trucking. Incredibly, he is a 14-year NBA vet. Those legs have seen a lot of mileage but as LA management sees it this crew has another two years left in them.

Outside his Bulls teammates, there was only one other NBA player whose picture appeared in MJ's book For the Love of the Game. You guessed it -- it was Bryant.

He stuck a dagger in my heart too when the Lakers beat Boston in Game 7 of this year's Finals. Never mind if he struggled but he got the two points from the free throw line that mattered. That was the heartbreaker.

And now he has another parade. Another banner. Another ring. And the legends continues.

This man. This Bryant.