I was a huge Lakers fan when I was a kid. Kareem and Magic were amazing players who captured the hearts of countless sports fans including my own.
But I don’t watch basketball anymore. The reason I don’t watch is Kobe and Shaq were a sorry replacement for their predecessors, even though they also won championships together. They just never had even an iota of the charisma that the 80’s Lakers team brought to every game.
In fact, without Shaq these days, Kobe seems to be evolving into the Anti-Magic. Just as cheering for Magic Johnson was a validation of his impeccable sportsmanship and infectious amity, cheering for Kobe would be a validation of his glaring bellicosity. And that’s just no fun.
LIV