But we think these new guys are the legends in the making. “He’s always a part of the conversation with this kind of new dynasty. “LeBron is no slouch, obviously,” Argent said. But one thing is clear: Bryant will have less reason to gripe than LeBron James, who isn’t on the game’s cover after leading the Miami Heat to his first NBA championship. 2) and Nintendo Wii (at some point during the Christmas season). It remains to be seen how all that will translate into the overall player rankings for “NBA 2K13,” which Argent said will be announced at an undisclosed time before the game’s release dates for XBox and Playstation consoles (Oct. According to, Bryant made only 32.7% of his shots in the last five minutes of the game. He shot 43% from the field, his lowest since his second season in the league. Still, there’s no escaping the reality that Bryant’s willpower alone couldn’t carry the Lakers deep into the postseason. We think very highly of him and what he’s done.”Īrgent said his views mirror those of Lakers fans concerning Bryant, who finished as the league’s second-highest scorer in the 2011-12 campaign after having an innovative procedure last off-season on his surgically repaired right knee and left ankle. “This year, it’s focused more on the young guys. “Kobe is a great, great friend of the NBA 2K franchise, but each year we continue to evolve and we want to do different things,” 2K Sports vice president of marketing Jason Argent told The Times in a phone interview. “NBA 2K13" will feature the Clippers’ Blake Griffin, Oklahoma City’s Durant and Chicago’s Derrick Rose on the cover, The Times has learned. And only three years after Bryant appeared on the cover of the NBA 2K video game, it is now embracing up-and-coming albeit less accomplished NBA stars.
With the purple-and-gold bowing out in the Western Conference semifinals, all eyes were on LeBron James and Kevin Durant battling for league supremacy. last season centered on the dunks the Clippers threw down and less on the aging Lakers. Out here in Los Angeles, Bryant still remains king.īut there are other signs suggesting he’s no longer commanding the spotlight. Sure, Bryant boasts the top selling jersey interntationally. As if Kobe Bryant needed another reminder, it’s becoming more apparent he’s no longer at the forefront of the NBA’s hype machine.