It’s insulting to women and (normal) men everywhere that the NBA and its affiliates continue to celebrate Kobe Bryant, more than three years after his death. Not only was Bryant a truly overrated player, but his off-the-court legacy as a confirmed rapist and sexual predator are problematic and troublesome for a league that struggles still to do with its athletes and their criminal escapades. So why does this happen?

Recently, players like Miles Bridges and Ja Morant have suffered the wrath of the league for lesser offenses than Bryant’s rape case two decades ago. Bridges got suspended for domestic violence, while Morant got suspended for brandishing a gun on social media. But the league never did a damn thing about Bryant’s sexual assault of a woman in Colorado. In fact, the league went on to anoint him a god, basically.

Why? Probably the same reason MLB Commissioner Bud Selig never suspended Barry Bonds: money. For inexplicable reasons, Bryant was a fan favorite despite never being the best player on any of the championship teams he played on. His statistics are all volume, not efficiency. He was a renowned ball hog. It seems just absurd, still, that anyone would celebrate this guy for anything, other than being a Laker.

Remember, the court-admitted evidence is damning, even if there was never a trial: Bryant bought his way out of jail, basically. Was the world really so backwards 20 years ago that this was even possible? And why now, despite all the evidence out there, is this guy still celebrated in professional basketball circles? This is just another reason we find the NBA, and most professional sports, to be disgusting and vile. What a world.