but the system was still rigged from the start

And this, intentionally or not, is the real message. There’s no such thing as a real meritocracy, the system is always rigged in favor of the people who created it.

but the common thread seems to be that absolute power corrupts absolutely

This is not at all the intended message of Atlas Shrugs.

I will not be taking questions on how I recognise the extreme agedness of your terminology.

“Lamers”?!? What are you, like 90 years old?

Kobe’s nickname (self assigned) was the Black Mamba. Mamba Mentality was the book he wrote about his mindset. MJ was famously competitive but Kobe kind of took it to another level that bordered on sociopathic.

Hence trhe rape.

He’s known for the “Mamba mentality”: his extreme belief in himself, insane work ethic, and near psychopathic drive to succeed.

Did you really not know?