And that's a shame.
Even though he's played his entire career for the hated Lakers, Bryant should be a revered son of Philadelphia.
On the court, Bryant has represented what a Philadelphia basketball player is supposed to be all about - hard work, determination and dedication to the game. At age 33 and in his 16th NBA season, he is still one of the top five players in the league and shows little sign of slowing down.
He's a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP, the 2008 NBA MVP, 13-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA first-teamer and an Olympic gold medalist.
Bryant, from the Class of 1996 at Lower Merion High, has given back to the community in which he lived. He donated $411,000 to a fund that provided the school district with a series of inspirational, interactive and educational displays. The school that he led to the state championship as a senior now plays in the Kobe Bryant Gymnasium.
Those at Lower Merion say that he still keeps in contact with former coaches, teammates and even teachers at the school, and his former high school coach, Gregg Downer, said Bryant still wears his Aces shorts under his Lakers shorts.
At the gym dedication ceremony in December 2010, Bryant told a crowd of nearly 4,000, "This is where I came from. This is where I grew up. I didn't go to college. This is my university. This is where my memories lie."
Except many in Philadelphia will never believe that.
He is unquestionably one of the most despised athletes in Philadelphia history.
Just last week, Bryant was ranked at No. 2 in the Comcast SportsNet series of the Top 20 All-Time Philadelphia Villains. Only the Dallas Cowboys of the 1990s, with Jerry Jones, Jimmy Johnson, Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman, topped him.
Listen to sports talk radio today and don't be surprised if venom spewed about Bryant generates more air time than the results of Super Bowl XVLI.
