Kobe must prove to Lakers fans and all of his detractors that he has matured and will give up some of the limelight to win again. Not score between 50 and 81 points, but distribute the ball and make his teammates better.

Many basketball fans have short-term memory loss. They forget that Kobe deferred to Shaq during their championship years in order to win. Bryant got the ball to O'Neal better than any player who has ever suited up with the "Big Aristotle." He was and still is a great defender and is a great free-throw shooter.

When Kobe admitted that he committed adultery, he lost thousands of fans that will never respect him again. I'm not going to try to change your opinion of him after what happened in Eagle, Colo., but you have to give him credit for being the most dominant player in the NBA today. He is playing at a level that only a few players have ever soared to, and they include Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Michael Jordan. That is impressive company, and everyone should praise Bryant for his ability on the court.            

For those basketball fans who question the message Kobe sends to young kids when he scores 81 points, the message is PRACTICE! What else can you draw from a 27-year-old player who is averaging 45.5 points per game since Jan. 1? Every parent who wanted to motivate a child to get off the couch and put down the video game had the perfect example of how hard work pays off. Bryant spent his entire youth shooting baskets and perfecting his game so that he could bypass college and head directly to the NBA. That still looks like a great decision to me.

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Finally, I understand why many people think Bryant is a phony. Sometimes, he comes off as immature and arrogant when talking to the media and rarely has anything to say about relevant issues outside of basketball. He can't communicate his image as easily as Charles Barkley and he clearly isn't as happy as Magic Johnson was at the same age. That being said, Bryant can be compared to Jordan because of his past championships and the fact that he should have another 10 seasons to surpass Michael's six championships.

If Kobe remains healthy he’s sure to retire as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with several championships and some of the most lucrative endorsement deals in the history of sport. Not bad for a guy who had it all, almost lost it all and is back on track to defining his legacy in a positive light.