Gilbert Arenas Dubs Kobe Bryant ‘American Hero’, Says Black Mamba Was 'Only Player to Earn His Keys'

Kobe Bryant’s career, at its core, was one of the most self-made journeys a superstar has ever had in the NBA. He was traded on draft night, rode the bench during his early seasons, and played second fiddle to Shaquille O’Neal for his first three championships before evolving into the iconic superstar we admire today.

Gilbert Arenas, whose opinions on Bryant have shifted over time, recently took a firm stance as a staunch believer in the late Los Angeles Lakers legend. He defended Kobe as an “American Hero,” emphasizing that Bryant earned everything in his career rather than having anything handed to him.

In a near three and a half hour stream on his YouTube channel, Gil took some time to appreciate Bryant’s legendary career. The former All-Star particularly went off at detractors who routinely bring him down.

“You want to make him 1B, and don’t even realise this man right here is the American Hero. He is what everybody wants to be,” he said.

Arenas’ explanation for calling Kobe an American Hero? The fact that Kobe worked every single day to reach the level he did. He embodied the American Dream in that he was given no handouts. Just pure hard work and unwavering devotion to his craft. Arenas also pointed out that Kobe is the only player in the top 20 all-time list who came off the bench for two full seasons and still earned his place among the greats.

Kobe wasn’t a top three pick like LeBron James, O’Neal, or Magic Johnson. He wasn’t drafted as a franchise savior and expected to perform miracles from the start.“Everybody else was given the keys,” he said. “He (Kobe) had to earn his keys. He’s the only player to earn his keys.”

Kobe certainly had to earn everything he got. After Shaq and the Lakers’ messy breakup in 2004, the prevailing opinion was that the Lakers wouldn’t be contenders without him. Critics believed they’d never win with Kobe leading the way. A string of disappointing seasons followed, and those critics felt vindicated—until Bryant proved them wrong.

He won the NBA’s MVP award in the 2007/08 season, then followed it up with back-to-back championships over the next two years. He made everyone eat their words and was finally acknowledged as an all-time great.