Kobe Bryant -- Professional Basketball Player (NBA)

Kobe Bryant - Best Guess: INTJ - Introverted, reclusive, driven, manipulative, and a schemer, Kobe Bryant, I beleive, is a very strong INTJ.

Most people that have followed his career know that he began extremely introverted, and has a no-nonsense approach to his career. He was the Yin to Shaquille O'Neal's ESFP Yang. If Shaq was the joker, the lover, and the playmate--Kobe rarely talked to the public, did not smile and was fixated only on bettering his skills. At the cost of his reputation with the public--and even teammates. Kobe was--and still is--a definite I. As time has passed, circumstances have forced him out of seclusion as he has been the unchallenged team leader every since Shaq departed. He has been forced to speak and lead by example--even if it means forcing a smile or two. Once his private life became public in 2003 after the events of claimed marital infidelity, etc., he had to scheme his way into a new public image. It meant being playful on the court, joking with the media, "volunteering" to do radio interviews--everything changed. Even the once clean-cut Kobe (J) one day appeared with several visible tattoos in an image make-over. No, Kobe, did not have an SP's wild night that drunkenly allowed this to happen--it was planned as an NT would plan. (For an SJ would rarely have made this sacrifice to their conservative image.)

I believe Kobe's personality is extremely unique for his circumstances as there are rarely any NT's in professional sports. But when there is, they stand out from the crowd as most NT's would not choose professional sports unless logic dictated it to them (i.e. extreme skill & natural ability). It would not surprise me if Kobe, after his professional basketball career, succeeded in his next journey as he is extremely gifted on his mental capacities. At the same time, he may revert back to his reclusive state and keep a very low profile and we may never see much of him again...

And finally, a note on his playing style. Many NT's recognize their abilities as superior to those around them. Kobe clearly sees this as an opportunity to pick up his team and lead them on his back. While, he is very egotistical towards his abilities and guarded about his image, I do not believe he is showboating as an SP would (...and most in the NBA are SP's...). He simply wants to win. And if that means doing the work himself, he will take all of the shots. On the other hand, now as a veteran in the league, he has seen that basketball is a team sport and there is more involved than just scoring points (i.e. as seen in the 2004-2006 seasons). So with his strong J mentality, he has kept his drive in check--and has kept extremely focused on not carrying the entire load and allowing the team to come together. It is the ultimate INTJ war within himself. One side says he has to carry the burden being the superior one (NT), while the other side (TJ) is balancing this out...

While I have made a strong case of Kobe's INTJ traits, he does have some exceptionally strong ISTP qualities as well. Isolated on a journey by themselves, driven in their art, and good with their hands. Ultimately I do not believe the individual letters match up as Kobe is a strong J. Strongest Letter(s): ITJ