As we all know, Kobe Bryant, as the second quarterback in NBA history, played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 seasons of his career and achieved brilliant results. Bryant helped the Lakers win 5 championships, including 1 3-game streak and 1 2-game ron, 2 Finals MVP, 18 All-Star starters, 11 all-star teams, 9 all-defensive teams, and 2 scoring champions. However, in the very important award of MVP, Kobe Bryant has only won 1 time, so when ranking the NBA's historical stars, many media will rank Kobe Bryant around the tenth, and even some fans think that Kobe Bryant has only 1 MVP and cannot be ranked in the top ten at all. Why did Bryant play 20 seasons and only get 1 MVP? Let's analyze it together.
Bryant has had 20 seasons in his career, and I think it can be divided into 5 stages. The first is the rookie period. From the 1996-97 season to the 1997-98 season, Kobe Bryant has been a substitute for the Lakers in both seasons, and he has fewer opportunities, averaging 7.6 points and 15.4 points per game, respectively, such data is completely unlikely to become an MVP.
The second is the second period. This period lasted from the 1998-99 season to the 2003-04 season. In the 1998-99 season, Kobe Bryant finally survived and became the Lakers' starting scoring guard, and the average score per game soared to 19.9 points, second only to O'Neal, and since that season, the Lakers OK combination has begun to emerge. After that, the OK combination led the Lakers to win three consecutive championships, and in the 2003-04 Finals, the Lakers lost to the Pistons 1-4 and missed the championship, and then the OK group fell apart. Kobe Bryant as the lakers' second boss is a total of 6 seasons, during these 6 seasons, Kobe's best data is in the 2002-03 season, averaging 30 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game, the data Kobe is undoubtedly up to the level of MVP, but the Lakers' record is only 50 wins and 32 losses ranked fifth in the West, resulting in him missing the final MVP.
The third is the period of solitude. This stage from the 2004-05 season to the 2006-07 season, these three seasons should be the peak of Bryant's personal ability, 81 points per game, 62 points in three quarters, 4 consecutive games of 50+ are obtained in this period, but at that time, Kobe's helpers except Odom, other players can be called CBA level, Kwame Brown, Luke Watton, Death Parker and others did not average more than 15 points per game. Therefore, in these past few seasons, although Kobe Bryant's personal performance is very explosive, but the team's record has dragged its legs, and the MVP is naturally once again out of luck with him.
The fourth is the leadership period. From the 2007-08 season to the 2012-13 season, Kobe Bryant really ushered in a magnificent transformation from a fighter to a leader. In the 2007-08 season, the Lakers got Paul Gasol through a robbery trade, and the record suddenly rose from seventh in the West to first in the West, kobe bryant averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game, pushing Paul to win the first and only MVP of his career. At the beginning of the 2008-09 season, Kobe Bryant reduced his shots, personal data declined slightly, the Lakers' record suffered losses from the "west strong east weak" pattern, coupled with Kobe's dislike of dealing with the media, so in these seasons, Kobe Bryant lost to James, Rose, etc., and did not have the opportunity to get the MVP again, which is indeed a pity.
The fifth is the period of decline. This stage runs from the 2013-14 season to the 2015-16 season. In the final stage of the 2012-13 regular season, the Lakers' record was very bad, almost unable to enter the Western Conference playoffs, Kobe Bryant in order to complete the promise to the old Buzz, tried his best, in the Lakers and Warriors game, Kobe Bryant unfortunately Achilles tendon fracture season reimbursement, the Lakers although barely entered the playoffs, but in the first round was swept by the Spurs. After about half a year of recovery, Bryant came back again, but after only 6 games, he was injured again, and the Lakers' record fell directly to the second to last place in the West. In the following two seasons, although Kobe Bryant returned to the field again, his competitive status has dropped sharply, and the Lakers have completely degenerated into a Western fish belly team.
Through the above analysis, it can be learned that Kobe Bryant only won 1 MVP in 20 seasons of his career, mainly due to personal personality reasons and the pattern of the league's strong West and weak east at that time. Although there is only 1 MVP, Kobe Bryant's strength is beyond doubt, and he is definitely one of the top ten stars in NBA history.