How about a nice moment of humility and generosity from Kobe Bryant?
Kobe, who has been elected to every All-Star Game since 1998 and is a four-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, told reporters on Sunday night that fans should vote more deserving, younger players to the game rather than him.
“I probably won’t be able to come back soon enough to be able to make my stamp or my mark on the game,” Bryant said on Sunday night. “My advice would be to vote for some of the younger players, the Damian Lillards of the world, because they’re more than deserving to be out there and play during that weekend.”
Kobe is currently third in overall votes behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant despite his injuries that have limited him to six games.
“Even though there’s so much respect that comes from me to be able to play for the fans, I’d much rather see the young guys go out there and play in the game,” Bryant said. “They’ve obviously put the work in to be there that weekend, so I’d much rather see them go in there and participate.”
Kobe says that he would normally want to play in the game to show respect and appreciation to the fans for voting him in, but he also wants to feel like he can be effective when he plays.
As one of the legends of the game, I wouldn’t have a problem with Kobe accepting the fan vote and playing in the game. But I have a lot of respect for him encouraging fans to vote for the players who deserve it this season.
