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The truly gifted tend to be hell-raisers because they’re often managed by people who landed their positions by kissing butt or playing politics. Kobe never learned to play politics because his jump shot eliminated that necessity.
So I like where Kobe is today. He’s aware of his immense power. He pretty much made the league hand Pau Gasol to the Lakers. But Kobe doesn’t abuse his power anymore. Now that he’s in control of the Lakers and they’re winning, he’s an excellent teammate and a fine leader.
Is he Kevin Garnett, perhaps the best leader and teammate in the league? No. Is Kobe even Shaq, the most likable superstar in all of sports? Nope.
Shaq has the unique and lovable quality of laughing at himself solely for our entertainment. Saturday he dressed up like a jockey before the Belmont Stakes, and he appeared in TV commercials pretending to be a jockey.
Kobe can’t laugh at himself yet. He takes himself too seriously. But that’s all right. Shaq can’t score 40 points anymore when his team absolutely needs him to. Kobe can, and he’ll probably do it tonight.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.
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