Kobe Bryant is known for his outstanding basketball abilities and killer mentality. He was one of the best players to play in the league. Kobe entered the NBA draft in 1996 and was the 13th overall pick. He spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers winning five championships during this span.
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Though Bryant was a highly respected athlete, he had flaws that did not sit well with a lot of people. He was known for his fierce competitive, and demanding nature, which led to friction in the locker room. His arrogant nature and inability to befriend players were also mentioned in the Netflix documentary – ‘The Redeem Team’.
In 2003, Kobe was charged with sexually assaulting a hotel employee in Colorado. This incident left a mark in the minds of fans and reporters. There was a hate that ensued around him, and it had an impact with the voters in the league.
Kobe Bryant will not win the 2008 MVP
In an article for ESPN’s Page 2, Scoop Jackson – the writer, talks about the voters hating Kobe Bryant and his chances of winning the upcoming MVP award. The article reads:
“Truth is Kobe Bryant will never win the MVP of the league. He is hated too much. Hated by those who cast votes. Hated too much by those he plays against. His electability quotient was 0.”
Scoop goes on to justify his statements by mentioning stats from the previous seasons. In 2006, Kobe had averaged an astonishing 35.6 PPG while shooting 45% from the field. He had single-handedly taken a poor Lakers team to the playoffs. However, he ended up finishing fourth in the voting.
The following year was no different. Kobe averaged 31.6 PPG and shot 46.3% from the field. He became the second player to have ten games with 50+ points. He ended up finishing third in the MVP race. As per Scoop, the voters intentions were pretty clear, when it came to Kobe.
How many MVP votes did Kobe Bryant win in 2008?
Kobe Bryant won the 2008 MVP even though his statistics did not compare to his previous two seasons. He averaged 28.3 PPG with a field goal percentage of 45.9%. However, Lakers finished as the top team in the Western Conference and reached the NBA finals.
The 2008 MVP award was voted by a panel of 126 sportswriters and broadcasters from the United States and Canada. Much to the surprise of Scoop Jackson, Kobe ended up winning 82 first place votes. He would have a total of 1100 points out of a maximum of 1260.
