He must of been expecting it. They want nothing to do with Kobe, he's part of the evil Lakers. But if they were in LA they would of went nuts for him, so it isn't so bad.
Don't believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see.
That was below average, definitely. He came to his hometown, put on one hell of a show and they boo him? It is hard to believe, but Kobe is still only 23. I am sure he wasn't expecting it, but will get over it. But Ithink for a few years to come, the Sixers are going to get a Kobe ass kicking everytime he is in Philly.
January 4th 1999 - The day WCW injected itself with 10 gallons of Liquid Anthrax...AKA...The day Hogan "Defeated" Nash to win the WCW title in front of 40,000.
I am a Philadelphia sports fan and would like to respond.
When Kobe decided to enter the NBA draft the 76ers had the opportunity to draft him. He stated himself and through his father that he did not want to play for the 76ers organization. Ever since then he has made disparaging remarks about the team and the city itself. Last year, Kobe decides that he misses Philadelphia and wants everyone here to fawn all over him like in LA. Sorry, but it doesn't work that way. Maybe you should apologize for all of those remarks first and then show us how much you love the area where you grew up. We fawned over you when you played for Lower Merion High School and watched your HS career grow. We even looked the other way when you decided to skip going to LaSalle, where your dad was an assistant coach, and turn pro. But you do not turn your back on the area where you grew up and then expect us to love you.
If I remember correctly, Kobe and his father stated that Kobe didn't want to play for any other team but the Lakers. That pretty much forced Charlotte (who drafted him) to trade him away and get Vlade Divac.
I'm sick of people like Kobe Bryant and Steve Francis (who forced a trade out of Vancouver) refusing to play for the team that drafts them. Basically they're saying, “Screw you guys, I'm gonna play for who I WANT to play for, and if you don't trade me, I'm gonna sit on the sidelines, soaking up all your money.”
To everyone who says that Philadelphia has horrible fans-- well, you're right to a point. I remember an incident during an Eagles game in which the crowd cheered their lungs out as Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin was stretchered out. And there was another time involving the throwing of iceballs at players on the field.
But Kobe so thoroughly shunned Philadelphia coming into the league, and then his team beat the Sixers last year in the Finals, and he expects the Philadelphia fans to love him? Eh-eh. He deserved every bit of the jeers that he received.
“I didn't say it would be easy, Neo. I just said it would be the truth.”
Yes, Kobe did say when he was drafted that he wanted to play for the Lakers but no, he has never said anything disparaging about the Philadelphia. He always talked good about Philadelphia and talked about about how it was his home. AND his rookie year when he was in the rookie all star game Philly's own player Allen Iverson won the MVP and they BOOed him because they wanted Kobe to win it. So if they still liked him his rookie year after he said he wouldn't play them then why should they all of a sudden hate him now?
And even if Kobe did do anything to them, if they want to boo him in a regular season game fine, but this is the All Star game. The best one i've seen in a while too, and the fans should just enjoy all the exciting players and plays instead of picking on one guy. There were some exciting passing by the West, then some great dunks by McGrady, then the West brought in their foreign team and started raining threes. It was a great game, and Kobe played the best, give the guy a little respect. After such an exciting game having the MVP get such a bad reaction totally ruined it. I hope they never play the All Star game in Philly ever again.
Did I miss the memo that said it's not OK to boo people from rival teams (even those who kept your team away from the title) in sports anymore? Are pro athletes so insecure that they can't handle getting booed in a rival city anymore?
That's nuts. He wanted to be Mr. LA, (sorry, Charlotte, Kobe likes Hollywood, you get no team!) he made that choice. But now, a guy from the team that beat your hometown team in the championship last year comes into town and fans aren't allowed to boo him. I really don't get that. For all those awful commercials he made last year ALONE he deserves to get booed out of every other building in the league.
Having grown up in the Philadelphia media market, I've lived through most of the 'infamous' incidents that everyone has been brining up today.
To me, nothing compares to the drunk setting off the flare gun during a Monday Night Football game.
I wish I could have listened to WIP today. It must have been great, with half the callers bragging about it and the other half castigating the outside world for not understanding the Philly mentality.
"And that little boy that no one liked grew up to be ... Roy Cohn. Now you know the rest of the story." -- Pesudo Paul Harvey, "The Simpsons," Cape Feare
Originally posted by Dr UnlikelyDid I miss the memo that said it's not OK to boo people from rival teams (even those who kept your team away from the title) in sports anymore?
IF it's a regular season game boo all you want, cause naturally you want your team to win, but in an All Star game, no you shouldn't. An All Star game is about having fun and showcasing the NBA's talents. And the Philly crowd ruined the entire thing. Plus it's his hometown. It's like if Jericho wrestled in his hometown, sure he's a big heel now, but in his hometown they would cheer for him because he is from there. But Philly fans don't cheer for one of their own returns home because they have no class and respect.
Take the Baseball All Star game last year. When A-Rod left Seattle they gave him hell (and rightfully so) when he returned for the first time in a regular season game. But then when they had the All Star game there the crowd showed respect for possibly the best player in the game. Which is what Philly should have done.
I'm sure Kobe will get over it though since his Lakers have a better shot of winning the NBA Title than the 76ers do for the next 5 years atleast.
Well, now that the rules as to when you're allowed to boo and cheer have been set down, I'm sure sports fans all over the world will comply. Maybe they can eventually replace the crowd with a computer-generated image that will respond properly; that would even beat those places where they have to instruct the crowd when to boo and cheer on the jumbotrons.
The crowd is there to be entertained and to boo or cheer who they want. As long as it isn't abusive, it shouldn't be a problem. Kobe's no different than anyone else.
Originally posted by Dr UnlikelyThe crowd is there to be entertained and to boo or cheer who they want. As long as it isn't abusive, it shouldn't be a problem. Kobe's no different than anyone else.
Does a human being not have a responsibility to analyze the timing of circumstances and realize when behavior is inappropriate?
Kobe may not be different from anyone else, but the All-Star Game is different than a regular game.
This reminds me of an NFL game a few years ago when the fans booed a child in the Punt, Pass, and Kick competition because he wore the jersey of their rival team. Is that abusive conduct? If so, is it purely because they booed a child? Would it have been appropriate to boo if it were an adult competition?
BDC
"Enjoy every moment, because every moment is your life."
Does a human being not have a responsibility to analyze the timing of circumstances and realize when behavior is inappropriate?
Sure, just like an entertainer who performs in front of a live audience in a venue where the audience is expected (and encouraged) to boo or cheer is expected to understand that there will be booing or cheering. Iverson himself was booed by the crowd in Cleveland during the Rookie All-Star game when he played in it, and he didn't even beat the Cavs for a Championship in the season before that or anything. It's sports. Them's the breaks.
It's not like Kobe's Darryl Strawberry on "The Simpsons", shedding that solitary tear because the crowd was evil enough to not love him unconditionally.
"I want you to know that you are highly respected and loved in the city of Philadelphia," Street said. "We want you to come back in the offseason so that we can show you how much we appreciate what you've done for the game and the thousands of kids who look up to you as a role model."
Originally posted by Dr UnlikelyIverson himself was booed by the crowd in Cleveland during the Rookie All-Star game when he played in it, and he didn't even beat the Cavs for a Championship in the season before that or anything. It's sports. Them's the breaks
I don't think anyone points to Cleveland as the Sports Fan's City on a Hill. Buying a ticket to a sporting event does not give a person carte blanche to act in whatever manner they so choose. It was completely inappropriate for Cleveland fans to boo Iverson in a Rookie All-Star Game, its inappropriate for Philadelphia fans to boo Bryant. I find it preposterous to make the claim that "t's sports." It's not sports. It's exhibitions. The best of the best of a particular sport gather together to put on a show.
BDC
"Enjoy every moment, because every moment is your life."
I would agree that buying a ticket doesn't give someone a free pass to do anything they want. I don't think anyone would try to defend people throwing things at players or anything like that. But I refuse to accept that it would be wrong for people in a city to boo a player who, just several months before, announced to the world that he was "from Los Angeles" and was coming back to that city to "cut their hearts out."
You say things like that because you want to get the crowd fired up. What was Reggie Miller's book called, "I Love Being the Villain"? And when you beat them...when you do "cut their hearts out", well, you did the job. You can't expect their hearts to be there for you the next year when you go on the "Everyone must love me" tour. If you're there to put on a show, you can't expect everyone to love you when part of the show is coming into town to "cut their hearts out." Rivalries are part of the show, that's why a lot of people go to the games.
Here is the list of the first, second, third All-NBA teams http://www.nba.com/2010/news/05/06/all.nba/?ls=iref:nbahpt1 First Team: Forward- LeBron James Forward- Kevin Durant Center- Dwight Howard Guard- Kobe Bryant Guard- Dwayne Wade Second Team: