Most of us Generation-Y kids grew up watching the untouchable and ever-so-alluring, Michael Jordan.
We stared at the TV in awe and amazement as the 6-foot-6 guard would fly to elevated extremes and execute a never before seen dunk.
In the 1990-91 season we watched as Jordan added the only important item missing from his basketball résumé when he guided the Bulls to an NBA Championship - and five more in subsequent years.
You know what I'm talking about. Every kid from six to 20 has dreamed of being "like Mike."
How many of you sported a 23 on your high school basketball team? Or better yet, had to fight for that number?
How many of you wore all his gear and vowed to attend North Carolina?
And I probably don't even have to ask who got bruised up trying to imitate MJ in their front-yard or self-made court.
In that time we may have thought no one could ever compare to his Airness. Nobody could exceed his excellence or make you gaze in awe the way you did when you were 10.
You would never again get all tingly for 48 minutes, watching point after point, dunk after dunk. Well, think again - that time has come.
I know, I know. You're probably thinking, "You're just a girl, what do you know?"
Just keep reading.
Although a common phenomenon today, when Kobe Bryant chose to forego college and turn pro, there was definitely an uproar.
Drafted 13th overall by the then-Charlotte Hornets, he was traded to Los Angeles, where the hype and expectations were considerable for a 17-year-old.
Rings of "the next Jordan" were loud and clear. But Kobe took it all in stride. He made his NBA debut in November 1996, making him the youngest player to ever appear in an NBA game.
In the 1997 NBA All-Star Weekend, Kobe won the slam dunk contest (Jordan won a couple also) and posted a rookie-game record 31 points and 8 rebounds. He returned the following year, but this time to play on the All-Star team, making him the youngest All-Star in NBA history.
After coming into his own, Kobe, alongside Shaquille O'Neal, helped the Lakers to win the NBA Championship in 2000 - the first of three - each year, improving his averages in points and assists.
In that time, he's earned such nicknames as "Kobe the Destroyer," "Kobe the Finisher" and the recently added, "Kobe the Puppet Master."
But Kobe really began to step into Mike-like shoes this season when he was faced with the role of carrying the team while O'Neal was out recovering from toe surgery.
This season he leads the league in field goals made (594), total points (1652) and triple-doubles (5). He's just second in points per game (30.6) behind Tracy McGrady (31.1) and has the second-most free throws made (388) behind Paul Pierce (424).
On Jan. 7, he set an NBA record hitting nine consecutive 3-pointers and 12 overall in one game. Last Tuesday, he made one of the sickest dunks of the year right over 7-foot-5 Houston phenom Yao Ming.
But the most notable accomplishment is this: Kobe has scored 40 or more points in eight consecutive games and at least 35 in 12 straight putting him fourth on both all-time lists.
He has the longest streak of 40 or more since Jordan accomplished the feat in nine straight in the 1986-87 season (Kobe is 24, the same age Jordan was in the 1980s when he produced a similar scoring streak).
Michael and Kobe didn't take the same route, but they definitely seem to play in the same shoes. Defensively they're proficient, and both love to compete and hate to lose.
"Like Kobe" may not flow nearly as nice as "Like Mike," but for the next generation, he is the one being imitated on high school courts and front yards all over the world.
Michael Jordan will always be Michael Jordan.
But with Kobe in the spotlight, we're likely to see a whole new wave of dunks and pure basketball talent at its finest. And the bitter haters in Philly and self-proclaimed "Kobe stoppers" such as Ruben Patterson, can keep dreaming - retirement is a long way away.
Janet Harp, a State News copy editor, can be reached at harpjane@msu.edu.
