i was there, trust me...i never said anything bout why Kobe is playing today, and I do agree with you about him trying to catch Jordan at 6. my point was that once Kobe had that rape trial under his belt, it was over for him as far as getting favored by the league and being glamorized by the sponsors, the media, the marketing etc. he coulda very well gotten the same push/favoritism by david stern/espn that jordan did if it wasnt for all that.. and if Kobe was given the same love that Jordan got by the powers that be, the entire nation would have a different perception of him. we live in a country of sheep who are told what to think and how to think it...and I'm not talkin about you, because i do respect your opinion as your own. but just overall, the perception of these players is usually based on how they are marketed and pushed to the general public....just look at lebron. he's not even close to being the player he is billed to be. but most these cats who follow what the mass media feeds them will swear that he's a top 3 to ever do it, and thats just ridiculous.