he has highly specialized athletic ability. he is good at what he does, thats all. it doesnt make him a better athlete, just a really good athlete. there are plenty of good athletes on this board, good at things he cant do, you cant do or most of this board cant do.....kobe just has his skills on display.
the sad part is that he makes a tremendous amount of money doing this and there are more grueling sports where compensation is meager at best. those athletes are doing it truly for the love of the sport.