I'd rather be a rapist than a christian

Just hear me out, the rapist I refer to is Kobe Bryant and in the interest of non-defamation it was an allegation dropped by the plaintiff, the Christian being Dwight Howard Orlando Magics new big man who isn't an alleged Christian he's a Christian.
Dwight was my front runner for taking my second Jersey honours because my Vinsanity singlet needs to be washed from time to time. I liked his powerful physique and extreme dunking style, Kevin Garnett said he didn't have that much talent when he entered the league. Dwight will be big one day (which is of course to say that he is currently physically very big what I mean is in a celebrity status sense).
But It's playoff time so that means I spend most of my working day watching nba.com's play by play text rundowns of the playoff matches. I gotta say it's been a pretty exciting run in the western conference and the east with the exception of Netz versus Raptors were just about all sweeps including Detroit Piston's wiping Dwight's Orlando magic off the floorboards.
In the western conference I was hoping to see the Laker's bounce back as underdogs to the pheonix suns but after winning one game in the best of 7 round they got rolled.
I wanted them to win because I wanted Kobe to step up, to put down numbers in the 40's and 50's to dish out 9 dimes and rack up 2 blocks. Or at the very least a quadruple-double.
And Kobe does that from time to time, Kobe has close to the worst team in the league, I mean there's Lamar Odom who is a servicable Power Forward but compared to just about every other team in the playoffs there are no other teams this dependant on one man.
Kobe has the best stats in the league, is without a doubt the greatest player since Jordan and is occupying a space between Jordan and Wilt the Stilt. He is a serious contender for greatest of all time.
Yet unlike Michael he has an army of haters slightly bigger than his army of fans, he is viewed as arrogant and spoilt (and in some parts a rapist) but everyone has to hand down maximum respect for his game.
But he raises a point that resonates with me, that has propelled him up my list of jersey contenders from down the bottom as too mainstream (that honour has to go to Lebron, I don't know why he is never viewed as spoiled, I mean if that guy wasn't the most heavily marketed person to have not achieved anything yet in the league...) up to number 2 behind Vinsanity. Because something tells me that someday Kobe's jersey will have as much old school cool as MJ23, KA-J34, CB34 and so on.
The guy's got three rings, 2 consequtive scoring titles, the second highest single game score in history, an equal record 4 consecutive 50+ point game and seems to progressively get better.
I'm told he can't win the MVP because his team doesn't win enough, suffice to say I would wager you could put Kobe in any team in the L and they would scrape into the playoffs.
I can't say I've ever been a Kobe hater but he does highlight the important point, infact maybe he doesn't highlight it but flea certainly did in his nba blog

Confidence Not Arrogance

Posted by Flea on March 23, 2007, 2:20 p.m. ET
kobe bryanti have said it so many timesbut it is something that bares repeating
he is so taken for granted
people often think, oh he is so arrogant because he is so talented, let me tell ya something
people mistake the confidence that comes from a superb work ethic as arrogance
this is not just a matter of talent, or some bizarre genetic gift
some magic fairy dust that was sprinkled on him as a baby
yes,
his will power,
and his discipline,
and his work ethic,
and ability to stay focused and never rest on his laurels,
but always
work on improving his craft are part of who he is
yes all these things come from his god given nature,
and his genetics,
and the way he was raised
but the bottom line is
the guy works hardreal hard
day in day outhe is gonna make the most of who he is
he is gonna fulfill his potential
he will never look back later at his life and think oh i could have tried harder
he is willing to make the necessary sacrifices to be the best
and he is the best
because he cares the most
and gives all he hashe loves basketball
and we are all lucky to witness it
along with that the lakers all played well
they could have the put the clamps down on the grizzlies a little harder that's for sure
they let em score way too much
but luke payed welll
amar played well
kwame made some great defensive plays
smush moved the ball well
the momentum is gathering steam
where was jerry west?

go lakers

go bruins

end of flea's post.

Flea makes a good point, a good good point. I don't know how many movies push the message of believing in yourself but this seems to be the paradox of virtues. To become a champion you need to believe in yourself, but this is a quality to be observed, not said, no don't you dare profess your self belief out loud because that is arrogance.
Really the first person in every case to believe in you is you, not your coach not your teacher not your hair stylest. That's the starting point, others can jump on the bandwagon as the momentum overcomes the friction but really that's what believing in yourself should be all about - once you believe it, promote it. It's not exagerration it's just communicating who you are.
Freakin' humility is just a waste of time, and I find incredibly arrogant. Ian Thorpe demolishes record after record, how humble he is, what great humility from a great athlete. First time he was honest was when he quit - he didn't find it challenging or worthwhile.
Arrogance is going out with a sense of entitlement, that you don't have to compete, don't have to step it up. But arrogance is not believing you have the goods. Because you may have the goods.
Similarly humility isn't saying you don't have the goods when you clearly do.
Humility is being good, but knowing you want to be better. That's the only time it is permissable. That's the word from Rev. tohm.