#24 is a ball hug?

A lot of people criticize Kobe Bryant and think he is a ball hug. They said Kobe doesn’t like to pass the ball to his teammates because he doesn’t have faith in them. I had the same feeling while watching Kobe’s game a couple years ago. However, he is not number 8 anymore; he’s now number 24.

From #8 to #24

Most of the sport reporters looked at Kobe as a gifted player when he first started his NBA career. He and his number 8 jerseys had created many incredible records through out the years. Nevertheless, he was too young for those praises from the fans. Kobe wasn’t only known by young and talented, but also known as a selfish and cocky player during his earlier career. Kobe’s biggest change in the past few years is not that he changed his jersey number from 8 to 24, but the increase of maturity and leadership as a basketball player.

What’s the definition of ball hug?

Players who always like to force their shots without passing the ball to his/her teammates; people usually called them ball hug. It is true that Kobe takes most of the shots compare to other Lakers, but that doesn’t mean he’s a player who doesn’t like to share the ball. In fact, Phil Jackson has instructed him to take more shots during the post season this year. Kobe was trying to make his teammates involved in the game by making more assists for half of the season. It turned out that his team needed him to step up and take over the game to win those victories.

Talent

There are lots of Good Players in the league, but only a few of them can be considered as Great Players. Those great players have the talent and ability to dominate the game. If you have a player like Kobe Bryant who can average 30 to 40 points per game, you would certainly like him to take more shots than others. Furthermore, once Kobe becomes the “Target” for their opponents; rest of the Lakers would have more wide-open shots in the game, isn’t it?