I have been a fan of Kobe Bryant's game ever since I saw him in the 1999 playoff loss to the San Antonio Spurs. While I have always enjoyed his creativity, skill and finesse, my perception of the man has never been glamourous. He is selfish and narcisstic beyond I can defend, even though I have for many many years. Almost everything he does on the court has a certain motive which is rarely wholesome. What ticks me off about Kobe now is his latest marketing ploy for his Nike shoes. His official website claims that he wore his Nike Hyperdunks (which came out in the middle of 2008) until December 16, 2008. At that point, he switched to the new (and not-yet-released) Nike ZKIVs. Here are his stats with the Hyperdunks and ZKIVs. 24 GAMES WITH HYPERDUNK: OCTOBER 28 – DECEMBER 16 PPG: 25.0 FG%: 46.1 3-PT%: 29.5 12 GAMES WITH ZKIV: DECEMBER 19 – JANUARY 11 PPG: 30.8 FG%: 52.0 3-PT%: 48.9 They go on to say: His game has been elevated to amazing new heights over the past month, and the...