Oh how he crushed my soul every time. I think most of us NYers were happy to see him get punched in the face by Chris Childs. Ahh the memories. You either loved him or hated him on the court. I was always rooting for the team that was playing against him.
Whether you loved him or hated him as a player. You respected and appreciated his greatness on the court.
As a fan of the game - I revered and admired him as a player. He had that killer instinct that very few athletes possess.
I've always said that about Lebron - as great as he is. That is what is missing. That killer instinct that Kobe had. That Jordan had.

I knew whomever the Knicks would use to try to guard him, would be in for a world of trouble. It vexed me. But I would watch in awe as Kobe proved every time, that it was just impossible to defend him, double team, triple team, send the whole team. Didn't matter. He was going to get his shot off. As a Knick fan it crushed me. As a basketball fan, I was thrilled. Thanks for the memories Kobe. RIP.