Complex Blog » Kobe Bryant

Spain Gets A Nod For Its Hottest Women

donniek — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:36:18 +0000

Instead of our usual 9, we hit ya’ll with 10 shots of Spain’s hottest women! [LINK]

We had the Internet going nuts and people catching feelings when we unveiled 69 of rap’s most PAUSE worthy moments. [LINK]

Just imagine Lil’ Wayne starring in some of your favorite TV shows. Hilarious! [LINK]

Besides Jesus check out 7 other religious figures that can shut down Kobe Bryant. [LINK]

Read about Wale’s iffy relationship with the media (Complex included), Charles Hamilton and celebrity women. [LINK]

Former Playmate Kendra Wilkinson’s two’s can stop a baby from crying. [LINK]

AND FROM THE COMPLEX NETWORK:
Bastardly: Peep Bar Refaeli’s GQ Italy spread of her swinging. [LINK]

On Smash: Juelz Santana’s “Days Of Our Lives” video. [LINK]

SlamXHype: Comme des Garcons PLAY spring/summer 2009 collection. [LINK]

Nah Right: Video for Kid Cudi’s “Heaven At Nite” is finally out. [LINK]

Das Gamer: Peep these two-riffic booth babes at E3 in LA. [LINK]

KarmaloopTV: B.o.B (AKA Bobby Ray) talks about his new video. [LINK]

Nice Kicks: Who rocked the latest Air Yeezy’s better? Kanye or Fabolous? [LINK]

Sneaker News: Gourmet il Tre in dark rose and cool gray—summer fresh. [LINK]

7 Religious Figures Who Would Shut Kobe Bryant Down

justinm — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:57:42 +0000

Few Kobe fans remember the miracles Jesus could work with a roundball.

Sports are big on hyperbole, but Denver Nuggets coach George Karl went steroidal and sacrilegious with his when, after losing the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers, he told reporters, “I think Jesus would have had trouble covering [Kobe Bryant].” There’s no question that 24 is crazy nice, but we wouldn’t go so far as to say he’s a basketball god, or even the son of a basketball god. If we had to wager, we’d put money on J.C. completely shutting Black Mamba down. After all, Jesus is said to have turned water to wine. What’s to prevent him from turning a well hydrated Kobe into a 60-percent-alcohol mess? Kobe might still spin and fade away, but the only rim he’d hit is the toilet bowl (and even that would be a feat with that much adult grape juice in him).

Jesus isn’t the only one, either. Complex believes that figures from all major religions could make Kobe look like a D-League benchwarmer. Check it out as we pit them against 24 in a one-on-one showdown. It’s holy war on the hardwood! Of course, if you’re a dismayed Kobe Bryant fanatic, keep the faith. According to most religions, miracles do happen…

KOBE VS. CONFUCIUS
• Big C doesn’t have the hops that he used to have, but he’s definitely the wiser of the two. Confucius says: Slyly throw an elbow in Kobe’s groin and walk away, letting him rant and rave until he gets himself ejected. Put that shit on a fortune cookie, sucka!

KOBE VS. MOHAMMED
• Remember how Kobe impressed LeBron James by waking up earlier than anyone else on Team USA to hit the weight room? Well, that kind of work ethic pales in comparison to Mohammed’s self-discipline. When was the last time Kobe fasted for a month? Chew on that, Mamba!

KOBE VS. BUDDHA
• Buddha gave up all his worldly possessions and lived a life of selflessness. Kobe hogs the ball and gets his 40 by jacking up 55 shots. Which one do you think teammates would harder play for? Besides, you know Phil Jackson would sell Kobe out for a little Zen wisdom (or another book deal).

KOBE VS. MOSES
• Moses parted the Red Sea to help Jews escape slavery in Egypt. How hard do you think he’d find it to split his defender? Literally!

KOBE VS. VISHNU
• Kobe has been tested by defensive experts Bruce Bowen, Ron Artest, Shane Battier, and Raja Bell, but he’s never tried to shoot with four hands in his face! You’re our boy, Blue!

KOBE VS. APHRODITE
• It’s no coincidence that the Greek goddess of love and beauty forgot her uniform in the locker room. She knows Kobe’s weakness for attacking the rim.

KOBE VS. TOM CRUISE
• OK, Kobe could definitely serve Scientology’s most recognizable advocate—but he wouldn’t if he wants to work in Hollywood again.

How To Sell The NBA Finals Without A Kobe-LeBron Matchup

justinm — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:22:13 +0000

David Stern to Kobe and LeBron: Please don’t turn your backs on me!

Like Shaq shooting free throws, NBA Commissioner David Stern is shitting a brick. All season long, it’s seemed a foregone conclusion that the renewal of the Boston Celtics-Los Angeles Lakers rivalry last year would be followed by a marquee match-up of the league’s two biggest stars, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, in the 2009 NBA Finals. The Commish was no doubt creaming in his suit pants just thinking about it. The same goes for the folks at Nike and Vitamin Water, who’ve been churning out ads playing up the superstar showdown. That’s a lot of cream, and now somebody’s going to need to mop it all up, because Carmelo Anthony’s Denver Nuggets are knocking Kobe around in the Western Conference Finals like they want to pay him back for that Colorado rape trial and Dwight Howard’s Orlando Magic have pushed the Cavs to the brink of elimination in the East and made it look like King James got his crown from Burger King.

With a Cavaliers-Lakers Finals in doubt, the NBA suddenly has to scramble to sell alternative match-ups that are about as sexy as Chyna with a raging case of (manly) female gonorrhea. Though we enjoy seeing Puppetmaster Stern squirm when the magnets in the balls and his team of crooked refs fail to determine the outcomes of series, Complex wants other sports fans to know that all is not lost! Check out 5 awesome story lines that a commercial announcer could play up in an overly dramatic voice should LeBron or Kobe or both fail to make it to the trophy round. Keep the cream alive!

SUPER DUPED: DWIGHT “SUPERMAN” HOWARD VS. ALTITUDE!
• Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! And able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! But how will our fearless hero deal with (gasp) shortness of breath in the Rocky Mountains?? Will he be able to muster the energy to swing his elbows at opponents’ heads?? Tune in and find out!

PORN OHS!: STAN “RON JEREMY” VAN GUNDY VS. KENYON “BRIAN PUMPER” MARTIN!
• It is the NBA’s dirtiest, darkest secret! For years, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy has been living a double life, panicking under the bright lights of NBA arenas and penetrating under the bright lights of porn sets as his alter ego, “The Hedgehog” Ron Jeremy! But a new man has emerged, playing ball in both courts! He is Denver Nugget Kenyon Martin, better known as Brian Pumper! With their secret identities revealed, who will embrace their true nature and go strong to the hole to sexually dominate the NBA Finals? Tune in and find out!

DIESEL FUEL: STAN VAN GUNDY & KOBE BRYANT VS. SHAQ
• Two men, divided by team allegiances but united by a mutual hatred for that super-sized prick, Big Shaqtus! Stan is nervously sweating the title Shaq bestowed upon him: Master of Panic! Kobe still can’t get the taste of Shaq’s ass out of his mouth! When Shaq Fu makes a courtside appearance in L.A. and gets a standing ovation (and several ovulation invitations), will they crumble before his mighty media sound bytes and passable rap skills or will they combine their bitching and moaning in a mighty whine that turns the Diesel into a puttering hybrid? Tune in and find out!

LADY LUCK: SASHA VUJACIC & SHANNON BROWN VS. COURTNEY LEE & J.J. REDICK
• The racial barrier has been broken! The ethnic divide too! Now, the gender barrier falls as WNBA superstars break into the biggest series in the once male-dominated NBA! Will Sasha and Shannon synch their menstrual cycles in time to stop Courtney and J.J. from becoming the first women to win an NBA title? Can Sasha find the right pant suit for her post-game interviews? Will the rash in J.J.’s vagina prevent her from contributing? Tune in and find out! (Oh, wait. They’re men? They just have girl’s names? Nevermind.)

SPLITTING HAIRS: CHRIS ANDERSEN VS. ANDERSON VAREJAO
• One name in common spelled slightly differently! That’s where the similarities end! Andersen prefers a spiky faux-hawk! Anderson likes long, curly Brazilian surfer style! When these two role players meet on the hardwood, it’s always a sticky situation (mostly because of the pomade)! Whose hair will emerge victorious? Whose fans will spend more on replica wigs? Who will win the NBA’s ultimate prize, an endorsement deal with Vidal Sassoon? Tune in and find out!

Five Reasons the Nuggets Will Beat the Lakers

justinm — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:16:04 +0000

Kobe may want to light it up, but these aren’t kind Nugs, bro.

All year, sports pundits have been predicting that the Los Angeles Lakers would repeat as Western Conference Champions. Pardon us, but Complex doesn’t wash in purple and golden showers. That’s right, Kobe Bryant’s Lake Show is about to get canceled by Carmelo Anthony’s Denver Nuggets in the NBA Western Conference Finals.

We could provide myriad basketball reasons for this “upset” in the making, like L.A.’s inconsistent soft-batch style or point guard Chauncey Billups‘ infusion of calm, clutch shooting and leadership to Denver, but we’ll leave that to the professional sports reporters. Complex’s rationale is not based on hard data or statistics or other such nonsense, but on the priceless gold nuggets we mine in our minds. We pick winners like you pick boogers, so bet that mortgage money on it by the time the Lakers and Nuggets put the tip (off) in you tonight…

BEEF (WITH BROCCOLI)!
• There’s nothing like racial tension to unite a team of overpaid individuals. Before the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games, Lakers’ star big man Pau Gasol, his brother Marc and the rest of Spain’s basketball team gave themselves slanty eyes in a highly suspect advertisement—like offending Chinamen don’t mean slit to them. L.A.’s bench-warming Chinese guard Sun Yue has no doubt been stewing over it like lunch special #3 ever since, and with absolutely zero playing time to lose, look for Sun to rush the court during any Lakers-Nuggets scuffles and hit Pau with the POW! HIII-YAH! Gasol had better be ready to Peking duck.

D BE THUGGIN’!
• In the Nuggets’ semifinal series against the Dallas Mavericks, Kenyon Martin got into a war of words with Mavs billionaire owner Mark Cuban because he’d allowed fans to harass K-Mart’s mom and even told her that her son is a thug. To be fair, he is. Who but a thug could date Trina, “The Baddest Bitch,” and tattoo lips on his neck for her? Who on the Lakers is gonna have anything to say to him or be able to nullify his thug? Their Zen coach? The kid whose signature move is the literal teardrop? A dude named Lamar?

COLORADO GETS UP IN KOBE’S ASS!
• Ever since that whole rape trial, Black Mamba is shook to take it hard to the rim in Denver. Or even put it in the hole, for that matter.

TIGHTS SITUATION!
• The Nuggets can’t even get love on their home court! Game Four at the Pepsi Center in Denver is already controversial because it conflicts with a World Wrestling Entertainment event scheduled to take place at the venue at the same time (note: Monday Night Raw in Denver will not feature Kobe doin’ back door work on a hotel employee, pervs). WWE Chairman Vince McMahon refuses to move, and in an interview he put Stan Kroenke in a sleeper hold, saying the Nuggets owner wouldn’t have rented out the place if he’d actually believed his team would still be playing this late in the season. (McMahon then pulled out a Lakers jersey for him.) With an ass clown like McMahon (above, pantless) and even their own organization doubting, the boys in powder blue have all the incentive they’ll need to pull that pickaxe on fools and break stones.

WHITE-ON-WHITES!
• As everyone knows, NBA playoff series are decided by which team has the crazier white boy (we of course mean American white boys, who are generally raised to doubt themselves on the court and fear the original man, a.k.a. 75% of the league). This Lakers-Nuggets series comes down to two pale-faced forwards: Chris “Birdman” Andersen and Luke “Son of Bill” Walton. Birdman skies; Luke has about as much lift as his legendary dad, who still breaks a knee or ankle once every season. Birdman got kicked out of the league for two seasons for drug offenses so horrible that the league still won’t say what they were; Luke and his dad probably smoke pot listening to Grateful Dead bootlegs. Birdman is covered in (surprisingly decent) ink; Luke has Grateful Dead tattoos. We think you’ll agree that Birdman knocks Luke white out.

The 6 Craziest Athlete Wives

justinm — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:54:50 +0000

Kobe and Vanessa Bryant’s house may not be squeaky clean.

NBA housecleaning usually happens after the playoffs, but not for Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa Bryant. Their former housekeeper, 48-year-old Maria Jimenez, has sued them, claiming they harassed and humiliated her and failed to provide the health insurance they’d promised her. While everyone thinks of Vanessa as a victim of infidelity, Jimenez paints a different, stinkier picture. She alleges that Vanessa verbally abused and demeaned her, once ordering her to “put her hand in a bag of dog feces to retrieve the price tag for [a] blouse.” (Note: We’re left to wonder if this is what Kobe meant when he told Marc Ecko that he doesn’t like dog shit.)

Legal proceedings will determine if any of this is true or just a woman’s attempt to get paid to shut up, but it wouldn’t be the first time an athlete had a crazy wife. With this mess in mind, Complex presents the six craziest athlete wives. And for anyone who’s about to go ape shit when they don’t see Craig Hodges’s wife Carlita (doused him with gasoline and threw lit matches at him) or Nick Harper’s wife Daniell (attacked him with a knife), we’re talking non-domestic abuse crazy. We’ve learned you can’t throw punch lines at crazy violent women without getting arrested…

SHERRIE DALY (JOHN DALY)

• Aside from allegedly attacking John with a steak knife in 2007, his fourth wife pleaded guilty to a federal charge involving a drug ring and an illegal gambling operation in November 2004 and was sentenced to a five-month prison term. She was already caught up in dirt as early as 1996 and met John in 2001, or we’d gladly make a joke about the alcoholic golfer’s liquid assets running low.

ANNA BENSON (KRIS BENSON)

• While Kris was pitching for the New York Mets in 2004-05, his ex stripper wife told Howard Stern she’d sleep with everyone on the team (including the ball boys) if her husband ever cheated on her, showed up to the organization’s Christmas party dressed like a cast member from XXX-Mas Cums Early and snidely said that Dominican General Manager Omar Minaya was putting together an all-Latino team. You know your wife is crazy when a professional baseball team that has dealt with scandals ranging from cocaine to steroids trades you because they can’t deal with her insanity anymore.

JANET JONES (WAYNE GRETZKY)

• This former actress and dancer won the lotto when she wifed the Great One in 1988. It turned out she liked games of chance a little bit too much, though. In February 2006, Janet and several NHL players were linked to a New Jersey-based sports gambling ring (the NHL forbids anyone associated with it to gamble). To her credit, she did try to shield Wayne from the scandal. For not snitching, we’ll just say she’s “crazy…in love.”

JACKIE CHRISTIE (DOUG CHRISTIE)

• Jackie stands by her man—literally. When Doug was playing for the Toronto Raptors from 1996-2000, his overprotective/suspicious/insecure wife accompanied him during interviews with certain female reporters to be sure there was no funny business. She also felt uncomfortable with female Raptors staffers having access to the players’ locker room, so Doug changed clothes in a separate locker room. As crazy as these practices are (and we haven’t even mentioned the wretchedly romantic hand signals or annual marriage ceremony), nothing trumps the time a young female fan in Toronto approached Doug for an autograph and a kiss and Jackie summoned the voice of Beelzebub and screamed on her. She shoots for three (sixes)…nothing but net!

BRENDA WARNER (KURT WARNER)

• Back when Kurt was with the St. Louis Rams in 1998-2003 and losing, his ex Marine wife used to call talk radio programs and bark on the media and Kurt’s coaches. Fine, but why’d she have to look like female Johhny Unitas while doing it?

A History Of Shaq’s Greatest Emasculations

justinm — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:20:30 +0000

Stan Van Gundy just learned what it’s like to have Shaq rip your balls off and shove them down your throat.

Shaq is back! Yes, Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O’Neal is playing well after struggling through injuries that made him look like a broken down codger. But more importantly, he’s regained his shit-talking form. His latest shit storm started brewing during Tuesday night’s 111-99 loss to the Magic, when Shaq attempted to draw an offensive foul on Dwight Howard with a highly offensive flop after the Orlando center gave him a light elbow tap. The tomfoolery led Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, who coached Shaq on the Miami Heat, to say that he was shocked by the cheap move and that O’Neal should play like a man.

Never one to let his manhood be challenged, Shaq shot back that his flop reminds “master of panic” Van Gundy of his whole career. This is the press conference version of Shaq power dunking on a rival and hanging on the rim to ensure they get a nice strong whiff of his crotch funk as he teabags them. It’s good to have the big man back in full force. Hopefully he keeps it up and is even able to surpass the hilarity of these six classic emasculations…

SHAQ GIVES THE SACRAMENTO KINGS A SEX CHANGE

SHAQ-MASCULATION RATING:

• Fast forward to 2:14 to see Shaq ending the war of words between his Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings by calling them the Sacramento Queens. (Get it? They’re either women or Sweet ‘N Low!) Personally, we would have made a joke about Sac-town not seeing clearly due to their Arabian goggles.

CLICK NEXT TO SEE SHAQ’s TASTY TREAT FOR KOBE

5 Reasons Why the NHL Is Better Than The NBA

donniek — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:19:31 +0000

Far be it for us to be the harbinger of economic doom, but the NBA may be headed for some tough times. In fact, let super-agent David Falk tell it: “I think [fixing the NBA system is] going to be very, very extreme, because I think the times are extreme.” Salaries are out of control, teams are losing money and the imminent end of the current collective-bargaining agreement is putting the 2010-11 NBA season in jeopardy. Sorry, but ain’t no Krypto-Nate stopping that.

So, what’s the solution? The NBA will always have its loyalists, but we have a suggestion that should be familiar to anybody who’s suffered through a declining relationship: Distance yourself now before the heartbreak, and start seeing other people. Or, in this case, another league. Yup, the NHL. Yup, ice hockey. Look, we understand that most of you are indifferent about, if not openly hostile to, following the NHL, but the time is right to give the league another chance. Read on for our top 5 reasons why it may be time to jump ship on the NBA…

5. BLOATED SALARIES ARE KILLING THE NBA.

Guess which one of these dudes is worth $13 million per year.

ISSUE: The NBA’s soft salary cap = overpaid scrubs, big-market favoritism; the NHL’s hard salary cap = proportionate contracts, competitive balance.

• The two athletes pictured above were in the news last Thursday, but for decidedly different reasons: The sports world was still abuzz about the previous night’s Alexander Ovechkin wonder goal; on the same day, the NBA trading deadline expired, meaning the usual desperate shuffling of salary-cap-killers like Larry Hughes, who was traded to the Knicks. The point in all this? Ovechkin'the NHL’s undisputed best player, who’s earned millions of dollars for both his franchise and the league'is in the first year of a contract that pays him $9 million per year. Hughes'a mediocre journeyman and funny-blog-inspirer'is guaranteed roughly $13.2 million for each of the next two years. Hughes is not an aberration, but an example of why the NBA is looking at a no-exception, no-luxury-tax hard cap, which will result in players like him losing money. Armageddon looms.

Click NEXT to see reason #4…

Outtake Video: Kobe Bryant Hates Dog Poop

bfred — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:51:05 +0000

What keeps Kobe Bryant up at night?

The NBA superstar has a lot on his mind, but while being interviewed by Complex founder Marc Ecko for our Feb/March 2009 cover story, he spilled the beans on the source of his biggest headache: Dog shit.

That’s right, Kobe’s German Shepherd has a tendency to leave presents for him in the morning. His memorable answer didn’t make it into our original interview video, so we decided to drop a special outtake clip. Watch his poop protest below…

Check back each week this month for a new “Kobe Outtakes” video.

Kobe Bryant’s 5 Greatest Career Moments

jerwin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:43:52 +0000

The new King of New York exits the Garden last night.

Give credit where credit is due: to us! That’s right, four months after we got Aubrey O’Day kicked out of Danity Kane (or not), it seems we’ve inspired one of our latest cover subjects to new heights.

Last night Kobe Bryant blew into New York and blew the doors off Madison Square Garden, setting a new scoring record at the World’s Most Famous Arena with 61 points (besting the previous highs of 60 by Knick Bernard King and 55 by some dude named Jordan). Coincidentally (or not), our Kobe cover story hit the ‘Nets last week and has started appearing on newsstands in the past few days. To celebrate KB’s achievement (and our assist), we offer the 5 Greatest Moments in Kobe’s Career…

#5: STAGES PERSONAL DUNK CONTEST DURING PLAYOFF GAME (5/9/08)

• Who needs teammates?

#4: 8TH CONSECUTIVE 40 POINT GAME (2/21/03)

• KB would notch one more 40-pointer to join MJ at third on the all-time list, but this one’s great because Kobe needs a last second shot to hit the mark.

#3: GOES TOE-TO-TOE WITH MJ IN FIRST ALL-STAR GAME (2/8/98)

• Sure, Jordan took him to school a couple times, but Kobe also had a 360 dunk (off a Shaq outlet pass no less), an alley-oop from KG and a play Bob Costas thought was illegal. Our favorite Kobe move from this game (not shown in this clip)? When he shook off Karl Malone’s pick. [Our imagined KB-Malone conversation: "I'm not John Stockton and this is a fuckin' all-star game you redneck."]

#2: DROPS 42 IN 1ST HALF OF MJ’s FINAL GAME IN L.A. (3/28/03)

• Kobe and Jordan had something of a complex relationship (see above), but we’re sure that didn’t have anything to do with KB pouring in 42 in the first half of MJ’s final game in Los Angeles. Nah, had nothing to do with it.

#1: GOES FOR 81 VS. TORONTO (1/22/06)

• Maybe the coolest thing about his clip? Check out these scoring totals after the 10:45 mark in the 3rd quarter: Raptors, 38; Lakers not named after a kind of Japanese beef, 18; Kobe, 55.

Kobe And Elisha Got Us Covered

donniek — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:38:20 +0000

For our upcoming Feb/March 2009 cover story (dropping on February 10) we put the spotlight on Canadian actress, Elisha Cuthbert of The Girl Next Door fame. Read through our interview to see her thoughts about her home-country, her sensitive role in Captivity, and her liking for hockey. [LINK]

Even before the NBA, Kobe Bryant was hated by many, and loved by few. Check out this exclusive interview conducted by Marc Ecko, where Bryant poignantly breaks down his legacy in the league, the technology used for his upcoming shoes with Nike, and reasons behind his competitive nature. [LINK]

We were a little worried when we heard Toccara Jones recently devoting herself to her fitness DVD. So just in case she works those twos out of shape, we take you back in the memory lane of Jones' voluptuous twos. [LINK]

If you thought Sa-Ra front man Taz Arnold rocking a pair of animal skin pants is crazy, check out some of these other shits he was rocking. [LINK]

Kate Winslet has devoted herself to a respectable career as an actress. But nobody's perfect. In celebration of her recent winning streaks at the award shows, Kate Winslet gets the proper Wifey or Trifey showdown treatment. [LINK]

And From The Complex Network
KicksOnFire.com:This A.P.C. x Nike collaboration might be the sneaker for the spring season. Two words, simply classic. [LINK]

NiceKicks.com: Seems like Nike will be releasing many more classics from the past in 2009. First at bat will be these Griffey’s. [LINK]

Nah Right: Fat Joe and Akon get together for another hit called “One”. [LINK]

OnSmash: Kanye West kicks off this new Teriyaki Boyz track called “Teriya-King”. [LINK]

Bastardly: Former Playboy Pinup Shauna Sand shows off her Jet Skiing skills. [LINK]

Slamxhype: Check out Common Projects Spring collection for 2009 [LINK]

Kobe Bryant Covers Our Feb/March Issue!

bfred — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:03:34 +0000

He’s been in the public eye since he escorted Brandy to the senior prom, but the truth is, not many people really know who Kobe Bryant is. For our Feb/March 2009 cover story, we really wanted to get inside the NBA superstar’s head, so we sent the one member of our staff who can relate to million-dollar checks and the ups and downs of life in the spotlight: our founder Marc Ecko.

Whether you love him or hate him, you won’t knock Kobe’s hustle after reading our candid Q&A. The issue officially hits stands on February 10, but we’re giving you the chance to check out the full Kobe cover story now, along with a few videos we shot on location at the shoot.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE KOBE COVER STORY!

VIDEO: Marc Ecko Interviews Kobe
VIDEO: Kobe Breaks Down His New Nikes

Battle Of The Sleaze: Shaq Vs. Kobe

justinm — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 22:47:15 +0000

In the long-running feud between NBA stars and former teammates Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, most people have sided with the big guy ’cause he’s funny, charismatic, and hasn’t been accused of raping anyone.

Though he’s always seemed like the better guy, it turns out that Shaq may be as big of a sleazebag as Kobe, if not bigger. Last Thursday, his former jumpoff, Alexis Miller (a.k.a. Maryjane, the Atlanta rapper you’ve never heard of), filed a restraining order against him, claiming he’d stalked, threatened, and harassed her after she ended their relationship. The development gives Complex pause and cause to rethink the Shaq Vs. Kobe hate debate. Check out our head-to-head comparison and cast your vote to determine who’s sleazier.

Click Here To Start The Analysis…

Nike Zoom Kobe III MVP

Joe — Thu, 08 May 2008 22:24:31 +0000

To pay homage to their most valuable branded athlete, Nike cooked up these MVP Zoom Kobe III's for #24 to rock during the Western Conference Semi Finals. The player exclusive kicks feature an MVP tag on the tongue, which shows Nike designers put faith in Bryant way before an official announcement. No word on if these will be released or not, but we're thinking House Of Hoops might stock them in the near future.
[KixandTheCity]

Ballers: The Chosen One Jumps Off

Joe — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:46:44 +0000

If you're into streetball-style pick-up games where stars can pull off over-the-top acrobatic moves that are hard to come by in a real life NBA game, NBA Ballers Chosen One is your joint. Think of the title as a next-gen NBA Jam that features the best 65 players in the league and gameplay modes of one-on-one, two-on-two, and one v. one v. one (a.ka. threesome, PAUSE). When we were down in New Orleans for All-Star weekend, the Midway developers repeatedly sonned us using cover athlete (and Soulja Boy-Stan) Dwight Howard, who presents major matchup problems for most of the virtual players. Although Howard is the obvious choice if you're looking to rack up some easy W's, you'll impress the gaming-geeks by wrecking shop with Al Horford of Atlanta Hawks'the game's under-the-radar superstar.

Besides the entertaining arcade style game play, hip-hop heads will enjoy color commentary by Chuck D, and a soundtrack that's was fully scored by hit maker Just Blaze. (Be sure to check our exclusive Just Blaze interview on the game in the June/July issue of Complex.) Ballers: The Chosen One launches today for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. See some screens after the jump.

Kobe Is Back On Top!

bfred — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:23:02 +0000

With a 124-101 thrashing of the Sacramento Kings Tuesday in their final regular season game, Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers (57-25) secured the number-one seed in the NBA's Western Conference Playoffs. A complete asshole might make a reference to Bryant's 2003 sexual assault charge and say he's back on top (but only a complete asshole). After the jump, we recount the saga of Kobe’s long, hard road back from the bottom.

Five years ago, a 19-year-old Colorado resort employee accused Bryant of raping her. He'd allegedly hit bottom (word to Sodom) and then would go on to hit a more figurative low over the next 14 months before the case was eventually dropped. The league's suddenly fallible golden boy had to state publicly, his wife by his side, that he'd had consensual extramarital sex with his accuser (we're sure the consensual bit helped smooth things right over at the Bryant home). Companies like McDonald's and Nutella terminated his endorsement contracts.

With the added pressure of the trial, and a stunning loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 Finals, Bryant's already strained relationship with superstar center Shaquille O'Neal soured further and the star guard forced brass to ship the Diesel to Miami'cutting short a potential dynasty and denying the world a possible “Wood in the Hood” collabo rap album between the two stars. In Miami, O'Neal won another title with Dwyane Wade.

Bryant, finally the center of attention in L.A., struggled with a less talented supporting cast. Last off-season, sick of a third straight season without a playoff series win, Bryant criticized his teammates and Lakers management for not trading them, and then tried his best to get shipped out. When the season started, Laker fans who'd supported him during the rape allegations were morally outraged by his treachery and booed their beloved superstar.

In the end, the Lakers kept Bryant, who matured as a leader while the team's young players developed into legit role players and GM Mitch Kupchak pulled off a completely one-sided trade for the Memphis Grizzlies' talented seven-foot power forward/center Pau Gasol. Now, many people favor them to win it all. To do so, Bryant must return to the great state where he was accused of rape and dominate the Denver Nuggets. If he does, he will really come out on top. Again. Allegedly.

Hyperdunk: The Kobe 4?

bfred — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 22:19:56 +0000

In more awesomeness news from the Nike “Innovation Summit” on Beijing Olympics tech comes the Hyperdunk. This basketball shoe features “Flywire” technology, a feature that was originally developed to help Nike make a lighter-than-air track spike (which they did and will also debut at Beijing). Flywire works a lot like a suspension bridge, where instead of panels providing support, there are “cables” that are sewn across the foot for support while cutting back and forth, cutting down on weight substantially. Kobe is gonna run point on making you want to buy it, and will be wearing it during tonight's game versus the Clippers. Check out some photos of Kobe, Mark Parker, and design sketches of the shoe, after the jump.