I agree...there were tons of people who rooted for MJ back in the day. This was probably due in large part to the Detroit Pistons. They were the big, bad wolf and MJ was little red riding hood. Because the Pistons played a thuggish sort of game, and MJ played an entertaining, hire-wire type of game, people naturally wanted to see Michael succeed, since they wanted to see the league go in that direction. He had to struggle to win his championship, and when he finally won it, people were really happy for him.

Kobe, on the other hand, might have had it too easy for some people. He grew up as a rich kid, the son of an NBA player, and he was the first non-big man to skip college. I remember thinking that he would fail miserably, and it wasn't until he got traded to the Lakers that I warmed up to him. He won his first championship in his 4th season, which was when he was 21/22 years old. In comparison, Michael didn't win his first one until he was 27. If the Lakers continue their run, Kobe could equal Michael's six by that age.

I also hear a lot of people say that Kobe wouldn't be as good as he is without Shaq, and they count that against him. Although Michael never had anyone as dominant as Shaq alongside him, I think that the supporting cast he had in Chicago was far better than the Lakers Kobe has around him. Let's take Jordan and Pippen out of the equation. Among those left, there were still others who appeared as all-stars during their years with the Bulls. Horace Grant and BJ Armstrong were all-stars and Bulls, and Bill Cartwright was not far removed from being a star with the Knicks. In the second incarnation of the Bulls dynasty, they had Dennis Rodman, who was an all-star with the Pistons, a two-time defensive POY, and probably one of the greatest rebounders of all time. They also had Ron Harper, who was the perfect guy to replace MJ for short stretches of time.

For the Lakers, they never really had too much beyond Kobe and Shaq. Robert Horry made some clutch shots, but often disappeared for games at a time and was never completely comfortable at either the 3 or the 4. They have had a revolving door at the 4, with A.C. Green and Horace Grant (both of whom were way past their primes), and Samaki Walker, who will never have a prime. DFish is a great shooter, but will never be considered a star.

So to say that Kobe has it easy is not being fair. No one ever said that Bill Russell had it easy because he had Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, Bill Sharman, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, and the other slew of Hall of Famers that stocked the Celtics roster in the 50s and 60s. No one bitched about Magic having Kareem, Worthy, Bob McAdoo, and Byron Scott. So why are we all hating on Kobe?