The annual survey that is given out by John Schuhmann of NBA.com to each season’s rookie class during their offseason photo shoot revealed that Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant is the favorite among these new NBA players.
1: Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers — 21.2 percent
2: LeBron James, Miami — 15.2 percent
T-3rd: Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City & Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas — 12.1 percent
T-5th: Kevin Garnett, Brooklyn & Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers — 9.1 percent
Bryant, who has played 17 years in the league, is still an elite level player that can compete with the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul. The 15-time All-Star is known for his overt desire to win, to be the best and is still able to do this at the age of 35. Bryant has been one of the league’s most popular players in not only the United States but also in countries like the Philippines and China.
It is not surprising to see Bryant at the top of this list, but what is astonishing about it is he is still favored over James, who has led the Miami Heat to win the last two championships and has one of the NBA’s top-selling jerseys. What this ultimately means is that Bryant, even in the final act of his NBA career, is still very popular and well respected among today’s youth.
Bob Garcia IV
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