My take on Kobe is that the man obviously has skill, maybe the best we've ever seen - seriously. He's also extremely intellegent and driven which has lead him to have a huge ego. He is fully aware of his accomplishments and he has a certain idea of what he wants his legacy to be when its all said and done.
Simply put, he wants to be the best there was, the best there is and the best there ever will be. And he will stop at nothing to get there. If that means pissing off everyone around him, teammates, peers, coaches, fans, whatever - it doesnt matter to him, because he has a very specific idea of what his legacy NEEDS TO BE. And, as a result, that drive has also become a liabilty in his quest to be known as the greatest.
To be honest, I cant say I blame the guy. He is a GENIUS at what he does, and geniuses tend to be selfish aholes because they can be. They just see the world a different way than mere mortals do. And in a weird anti-way, I respect him for that. To me he's no different than a Mozart, Bobby Fischer or DaVinci. He just does it in a different medium.
For better or worse, thats MY .02 on Kobe.