Are the Lakers too aloof to be loved as champions or did Kobe’s surly attitude before last night’s series-clinching win turn folks off? Now that Kobe’s in smile mode, will he be remembered for his looks of relief and joy or more for the jaw-jutting gritty face/perpetual scowl he was wearing before the Finals ended? While the focal point of this post so far has been Bryant, reading T.J Simers’ column, the attitudes that stop him from loving the Lakers aren’t restricted to just newly-minted Finals MVP.
Apparently, Dr. Jerry Buss couldn’t be in attendance last night — it’s either that or he didn’t feel like going down the court to be apart of the trophy presentation. Instead, Dr. Buss sent his son, Joey. Unfortunately, the younger Buss didn’t seem incredibly comfortable speaking with Stuart Scott after Commissioner Stern handed him the trophy — sans handshake — as he proceeded to give one of the worst “we just won the championship” speeches, perhaps ever. Granted, we all weren’t put on this earth for public speaking purposes, but man, you just have to be better prepared than that.
Did the Lakers win take him off guard, as if you shouldn’t be expecting a trophy presentation with a 3-1 series lead? Or was this simply a “I’m not very good at this sort of thing” demonstration? Whatever the case, for all his public speaking ills, the younger Buss had the last laugh.
How many of you accepted a championship trophy last night in front of millions and millions of viewers?
