Kobe Bryant is an NBA superstar on his last legs and it always presents a rather awkward situation. He should still be revered for his past achievements but he is simply not the same player he once was.
Such is the dilemma of NBA 2k16. Kobe Bryant plays on the Los Angeles Lakers, arguably the most popular NBA franchise on the planet. He also has a grand following in the world market despite being heavily criticized by US media.
So it is expected that there would be heated discussions and reactions when NBA 2K released Kobe's player ratings via Twitter.
Bryant received an 85 overall rating which is the lowest since 2k started. Kobe, as the tweet states, has appeared in every NBA 2k game, and just like in the NBA, that should mean something.
Bryant dropped four points, the biggest single season ratings drop of his career since peaking at 99 in NBA 2k9. His ratings through the years:
- NBA 2K15 - 89
- NBA 2K14 - 93
- NBA 2K13 - 93
- NBA 2K12 - 94
- NBA 2K11 - 97
- NBA 2K10 - 97
- NBA 2K9 - 99
- NBA 2K8 - 98
- NBA 2K7 - 98
- NBA 2K6 - 97
Lake Show Life would naturally question the rating, although they do note that it is not without merit since Kobe had a season-ending injury. However, they do have a contention.
"2K didn't hold back and slapped Bryant with an underwhelming '85' rating. That seems a bit harsh, but they also dropped Kevin Durant from a '95' to a '91.'
Although Durant is coming off of a career-threatening foot injury, so there is definitively a discrepancy there."
If the unofficial rule is that a season ending injury should merit a deduction of four points, then it would be fair-that is, if it's regardless of the nature of the injury.
But then, Lake Show brought up another comparison:
"Would the untouchable Michael Jordan have been treated this way?
It should be noted Jordan received an 88 rating in NBA 2K3 at the rip old age of 39. He wasn't exactly in his prime, but that didn't seem to bother 2K then."
Lake Show rests its case. What do you think about Kobe Bryant's 85 rating? Is it too high, too low or just fair?