Bands as NBA Players: Part V

Coldplay is Kobe Bryant*

The year was 2000. I was no longer a kid. The soundtrack of my youth had included 'With or Without You' (U2) as child who barely understood the meaning, 'Wonderwall' (Oasis) as a naïve 16 year old, and 'Karma Police' (Radiohead) as an 18-year old punk who thought he had all the answers. The signature songs from the groundbreaking albums from the best bands of my lifetime.

But this was the new millennium. I had just turned 21 and I was heading into my last year of college. The song was 'Yellow'. Everyone knew it, and everyone had heard it. You couldn’t get away from it. It took me a while to even remember who the artist was. In fact, remember when Gwyneth Paltrow started dating Chris Martin? I think I actually called him the "Yellow Guy" at that time. Of course the more musically astute at that time had the foresight to realize that Coldplay was a legit force in the industry. "Parachutes" is a great album. It just took a while for me to figure that out. And I wasn’t alone. Although it has since gone double platinum in the US, it only peaked at 51 on the charts. The 2000’s was a new era. I already had my rock stars. No one would ever be better than U2 so why try? No one could be as huge as Oasis was in ’96, and Radiohead was Radiohead and there would never be another. We were a generation of haters and skeptics now. If you were popular you had sold out, and if your song was on the radio you were a marketing ploy.

Then came "A Rush of Blood to the Head". Maybe I was wrong.

Kobe Bryant is the best basketball player on the planet. You don’t like how that sounds do you? Well I don’t know how or when it happened, but it’s true. You know it and I know it. You’re right, he’s no Jordan. Jordan is retired. You’re right, he’s no Shaq. Shaq was a freak of nature and it’s over now. I know you like Iverson. He’s one of you; blue collar and squeezing the most out of what he has. Kobe is privileged, and lucky and coddled. I know.

One day I just accepted Jordan was gone, and I looked around, and there he was. Kobe Bryant was just the best. Maybe he hasn’t earned it or deserved it. Give him time.

'In My Place' is an amazing song. I have listened to it a thousand times. I never wanted to be a Coldplay fan. In fact I was so late to the party I almost missed it, but I glad I didn’t. This song and the band’s second album made me go back and appreciate the first. By the time "X&Y" was released in 2005, I waited in eager anticipation, and we had a legit rock band with three multi-platinum hits. Coldplay had dodged the critics who accused them of trying to be Radiohead; they had ignored those who said they could never top Oasis, and as blasphemous as it is to say, we have a band for those looking for the next U2. Of course they are not, but it’s always fun to look. And while 'Yellow' was a massive hit, the band’s best may be yet to come. Hey you never know.

Kobe Bryant has three championship rings. Ironically, his claim to supremacy may not be stronger than the ’07-’08 season. Now in his prime with a strong supporting cast, pundits are finally admitting that he is the player you most want in the clutch. He is your first choice if you are in a must-win game, and there is no doubt you want the ball in his hands taking the last shot. Nobody wants to play against him that’s for sure, and this year could be his defining moment. His chance to stake his claim, to shake out of the shadow of Shaq, to prove his detractors wrong, and to take his rightful place as the best player of his era.

Maybe there will never be another Jordan, but Kobe has a chance to go down in history as the best to a generation of fans. On June 17, 2008, Coldplay will release their fourth album "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends". If I have my druthers, Kobe Bryant will be carrying the Lakers to another title days later. So don’t be a hater. How often do you get a chance to see the best band and the best basketball player of the new millennium at the peak of their success at the same time? Who knows, maybe in 20 year we will be talking about the next Coldplay, and the next Kobe.

- Paul Phipps

* This is Part V in a series of columns by Paul Phipps. If you missed Parts I-IV, check it out in our blog section.