Kobe Bryant has spent the majority of his 18-year NBA career seeking to prove the general public wrong.
He vowed to show he could make the leap from high school to the NBA. Bryant proved he could win an NBA championship both with and without Shaq. Bryant has showed countless times he could overcome numerous injuries. He stays adamant he can bounce back from an injury-plagued 2013-14 season that limited him to all but six games.
During his recent trip to Brazil to watch the 2014 World Cup, the roles have switched. Bryant has become the prognosticator after spending his childhood watching The Beautiful Game. Hence, why Bryant sounded confident in sharing his clairvoyance on what will happen.
“Watching how Brazil has handled the pressure, particular with their first match, it’s hard to bet against them,” Bryant said in an NBA.com segment featuring NBA player and Brazilian native Anderson Varejao. “I think we’re going to see a Brazil-Argentina final. That’s going to be an epic final.”
It sure would be.
Brazil would have a chance to win their sixth World Cup in front of a home crowd. The matchup would feature two stars in Brazilian’s Neymar and Argentina’s Lionel Messi, both of whom play together on the Spanish club team, FC Barcelona. The game would also rekindle an old rivalry partly stemmed by the never-ending best soccer player debate between Pele and Diego Maradona.
“I’d love to see a Brazil-Argentina final,” Bryant said on ESPN. “It would be absolutely crazy. I think it would be beautiful for the sport. You have two of the best players going head to head. The best player that is here now and the player that can carry the next generation. It would be a great one.”
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