Kobe Bryant

When Steve Nash said yesterday, "I'm not going to give it back," he was talking to all the people like me who didn't want him to win MVP twice in a row. If you believe in democracy—O.K., elitist democracy— you have to see some justice in the award. 125 sporstwriters and broadcasters gave him half again as many points as LeBron James, the runnerup, and first-place voting wasn't close; he nearly trebled Kobe Bryant. What these guys were saying is that Nash transforms a team. Just now on ESPN they said that Nash's teams have led the NBA in scoring the last five seasons. Hard to argue with that...

I stayed up till 1:30 last night to watch the Suns' victory over the Lakers in overtime. I felt awed by the displays of power by Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. Nash may lack Kobe's athleticism, and Jordanity, but it is beautiful to watch him run that offense. It ticked me off when the Arizona Republic reported that Nash is going to win a second MVP in a row. He doesn't have a complete enough game, and Jason Kidd held him scoreless (my basketball pals tell me). But last night I saw how exciting he is just to watch handling the ball. And I don't watch much basketball. I wonder if these guys could be the Johnson/Bird rivalry that got so many people to watch basketball back when. Someone has to do something to make their teams better...

New York magazine, July 25, 2005 CELEBRITY PSYCHOS Celebrity and Its Discontents: A Diagnosis By Vanessa Grigoriadis Telephone rage, impromptu African sabbaticals, a trial that could only have taken place in Neverland—this season, our neurotic star culture seems to be suffering a complete mental collapse. Are only the crazy drawn to fame, or does fame make the famous crazy? Sidebar: See Our Diagnostic Celebrity Manual New York magazine, December 8, 2003 STARS GONE WILD Exploding Stars By Simon Dumenco Michael Jackson. Paris Hilton. Kobe Bryant. Martha Stewart. In a culture that worships celebrity, some of the most famous seem to be suffering a collective meltdown—accused of acts that betray their own particularly self-destructive brand of entitlement. But to what degree do we share the blame? Sidebar: Daphne Merkin imagines Michael Jackson on the couch.  read more »

Against Love: A Polemic , by Laura Kipnis.  read more »