Champion Creed-Chapter 1427 - 448: LeBron Is a Leader, But Only for Three Minutes

But Brandon Roy didn’t want to be sheltered all his life; he wanted to be a man who could stand on his own. He hoped to be qualified to take the torch from Roger.

Matt Barnes stood up and reached out to pull Roy up: "Let’s deal with the Lakers first, then we can talk. If you want to take the scepter, you at least need to ensure the scepter is still in Roger’s hands." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Of course, Matt," Roy looked at the championship banners hanging in the training field, "No one can end Roger’s dynasty, I won’t allow it."

Meanwhile, the man Brandon Roy most wanted to defeat was also sweating it out on the training field, even though he had already broken three fingers this season.

Vanessa Bryant sat in the UCLA Health Center basketball training field, waiting for her husband.

The Eagle, Colorado controversy had put their relationship through a lot, from breaking apart to repairing and then to being reborn. It wasn’t easy, as it was a process of rebuilding trust after its collapse.

But the feelings that came after all this became even more solid.

Now, Vanessa and Kobe have entered a new phase in their lives. The part of their relationship that was love is gradually decreasing, while the familial part is increasing. There’s nothing wrong with that, as sometimes family ties are more reliable than romantic love.

Tonight, she patiently waited for her husband to finish his training and take him home. Because she knew that man was surely in a bad mood and needed company.

Earlier today, the NBA officially announced the results of the Defensive Player of the Year selection.

David Stern made a point to call Kobe to inform him of the result because he knew what that award meant to Kobe this season.

"Kobe, I am very sure you are an excellent defensive player, perhaps one of the best perimeter defenders I’ve ever seen. You came very, very close to winning the Defensive Player of the Year award this year."

David Stern’s praise of Kobe was heartfelt, but when people use "very close" to describe winning, it means Kobe failed.

He didn’t become the Defensive Player of the Year; the award went to Kevin Garnett.

Kobe’s situation was awkward. Both in terms of actual game impact and advanced statistics, his defense was top-notch. But that could only ensure he got into the All-Defensive First Team, as the Defensive Player of the Year wasn’t just about competing against players in the same position.

He might have been the best defensive guard this year, but compared to KG, he had no advantage in defensive impact.

The New York Times even used Jordan’s old quip to Shaq to describe Kobe: He’s not even the best defender on the Lakers. (Flashback: Jordan’s "Shut up Shaq, you’re not even the best player on your team" was the catalyst for Roger and Shaq’s fallout)

The best defensive player on the Lakers was undoubtedly Dwight Howard. As a big man who didn’t need to take on too much offensive burden, his defensive role was naturally greater than Kobe’s.

Kobe was unhappy because he turned into another LeBron James, failing to fulfill his promise.

The worst part was, he knew Roger’s MVP was already set in stone. Now the only suspense was whether Roger would become the first unanimous MVP in history.

Roger fulfilled his promise, and Kobe did not.

In this competition, Kobe was once again the loser.

So you can imagine how bad his mood was.

And when a man begins to vent his anger, his wife often bears the brunt. Vanessa suffered for it; her butt hurt.

Don’t get it wrong, she had been sitting at the UCLA Health Center waiting for Kobe for hours, and sitting too long obviously made her butt hurt.

But that’s Kobe’s way of venting his dissatisfaction. When he’s angry, he won’t relax; instead, he intensifies his self-torture.

Vanessa really wanted to know, if her husband played under Pat Riley, which one of them would wear each other out first.

However, it didn’t matter. Vanessa was willing to be with him through these tough times. After all, he was her most important family.

Finally, when Kobe was exhausted, he waved to Vanessa on the sideline: "Let’s go home."

In the car, Kobe sat in the passenger seat scrolling through the news on his phone. Vanessa didn’t need to look to know it was definitely news related to Roger.

Vanessa shrugged: "You don’t have to be so harsh on yourself anymore. Don’t let hardship become the only word in your life."

Kobe was incredulous: "Hardship? At least our family doesn’t have to struggle to make ends meet, at least you and our two daughters can get everything you want. Compared to sanitation workers who get up at dawn to collect garbage and only earn some living expenses in a month, what kind of hardship am I facing?"

"Is being number one really that important?" Vanessa continued to persuade, "And it’s not like you haven’t worked hard towards that goal; you’ve tried, tried many times. You have endured so much hardship for this goal, you had the team doctor pop your dislocated finger back in place on the spot, you’re always the one putting in the most hours of training, your knees can hardly take it anymore... I don’t mean for you to give up pursuing victory, I just don’t want to see you toil any longer. You’ve already proven your prowess in basketball."

Kobe knew his wife was saying this out of concern, so he wasn’t angry. But he still couldn’t help but grit his teeth and say: "Prove my prowess in basketball? Did I prove I’m the number one loser? Don’t worry, dear, when the season ends, I’ll properly spend time with you all. But for now, I’m sorry."