Kobe Bryant has been through a journey in his life - from amazing, humble, kid basketball player who got drafted by the Lakers to cocky self-absorbed pro with a certain degree of um…legal entanglements, and finally it seems, back to semi-humble, adult basketball player who’s appeared to learn some life lessons.

Such was the image he portrayed when he paid Jimmy Kimmel a visit recently. With a gold medal in his pocket, (probably the ultimate bling) Kobe looked quite dapper in his dark suit with pink tie and hankie. When the audience wouldn’t stop chanting MVP, Kimmel asked if Kobe gets tired of hearing that…Kobe said “no!” with a big smile.

Bryant was really the perfect mix of playful, sincere and serious. He spoke of Olympic basketball and how the world has embraced it, as well as his surprise at his popularity over in China (he couldn’t get off a plane because it had been swarmed by fans and his jersey is the nation’s number one seller).

Bryant did speak about working with Britany Spears on the MTV awards saying “that stuff makes me nervous.” They discussed his turning thirty in Beijing, his family, and his choice not to have surgery on his finger (too much recovery time away from the Lakers).

All of this was said with the right degree of humbleness and truth. He listened well, reacted even better and allowed us to want to like him, which we did. He even ended the interview telling Kimmel he had a bone to pick with him. He went on to complain about not being invited to Kimmel’s house for the Sunday NFL viewing party, saying “[sure, when the] camera comes on and he’s my buddy-buddy, and then he doesn’t invite me. I just want to know what’s going on!”

This appearance certainly marks an up swing in the control of Bryant’s public image and caps off an amazing season of talent on the court.

Tags: Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kobe Bryant, The Guest Whisperer

Email Me | Email to a Friend

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 5:56 pm and is filed under 5 out of 5 Whispers, Kobe Bryant. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.