Dear Kobe
Dear Kobe,
The first concrete memory that I have as a basketball fan was watching MJ hitting the game winning shot in the 1998 NBA finals vs The Utah Jazz. Until that moment, I was just a casual fan. That same year, Dirk Nowitzki was drafted and seeing Dirk developed as a player and seeing the Mavericks gradually get better as a team and finally make the playoffs, made me realized how great Kobe was as a competitor and basketball player. He was a fierce competitor and he never backed down from anything or anyone. I remember all those times The Mavs played The Lakers and he would break my heart, because it seemed like every time The Mavs would finally beat The Lakers, Kobe would hit a clutch shot to lead The Lakers to another win. A great example of this was when he scored 62 points in three quarters vs The Mavs on December 20, 2005. A few weeks later, on January 22, 2006 he scored 81 points vs The Toronto Raptors. On April 13, 2016, Kobe played his final game as professional basketball player vs The Utah Jazz, he scored 60 points. Those are just a few of the many examples of why he was a GREAT basketball player.
In the 2011 playoffs series between The Mavs and Lakers, The Mavs swept The Lakers and Kobe was beyond frustrated; that type of passion, work ethic, and competitive drive was the thing that made him one of the all time greats. But even after losing the series to The Mavs, he was one of the many NBA players that wanted The Mavs and Dirk to win the championship he undeniably deserved. The respect he showed for Dirk was one of a kind. Kobe is one of the few players that knew how hard is it to win a ring. The amount of blood, sweat, tears, and hours of work it takes to be one of the few to be able to call himself an NBA Champion. He knew what it means to stay with one team for 20 plus years, he knew that you can be a champion one day and suffer a devastating injury the next.
When Kobe tore his Achilles, he got up, hit his two free throws, and walked off the court under his own power. That is the personification of who Kobe was as a player, competitor, and as a person in his every day life. He worked tirelessly to come back and keep playing the game he loved so dearly. The love for his franchise and the game as a whole, is one that you see once in a generation. His legacy is one that extends beyond just the NBA or the sports world in general, he was an example of how great the human spirit can be even through adversity. Beyond a basketball player, he was a husband, father, son, brother, and a kind human being that pushed and inspired everyone he reached in one way or another, to be great and reach their full potential. He was one of the best to ever do it, he made the game damn fun to watch. You will be dearly missed beyond just the basketball world. But you gave millions of basketball fans around the world some great memories on and off the court. The only thing left to say is: Thank You.
Rest in peace,
Kobe Bean “Black Mamba” Bryant
The first concrete memory that I have as a basketball fan was watching MJ hitting the game winning shot in the 1998 NBA finals vs The Utah Jazz. Until that moment, I was just a casual fan. That same year, Dirk Nowitzki was drafted and seeing Dirk developed as a player and seeing the Mavericks gradually get better as a team and finally make the playoffs, made me realized how great Kobe was as a competitor and basketball player. He was a fierce competitor and he never backed down from anything or anyone. I remember all those times The Mavs played The Lakers and he would break my heart, because it seemed like every time The Mavs would finally beat The Lakers, Kobe would hit a clutch shot to lead The Lakers to another win. A great example of this was when he scored 62 points in three quarters vs The Mavs on December 20, 2005. A few weeks later, on January 22, 2006 he scored 81 points vs The Toronto Raptors. On April 13, 2016, Kobe played his final game as professional basketball player vs The Utah Jazz, he scored 60 points. Those are just a few of the many examples of why he was a GREAT basketball player.
In the 2011 playoffs series between The Mavs and Lakers, The Mavs swept The Lakers and Kobe was beyond frustrated; that type of passion, work ethic, and competitive drive was the thing that made him one of the all time greats. But even after losing the series to The Mavs, he was one of the many NBA players that wanted The Mavs and Dirk to win the championship he undeniably deserved. The respect he showed for Dirk was one of a kind. Kobe is one of the few players that knew how hard is it to win a ring. The amount of blood, sweat, tears, and hours of work it takes to be one of the few to be able to call himself an NBA Champion. He knew what it means to stay with one team for 20 plus years, he knew that you can be a champion one day and suffer a devastating injury the next.
When Kobe tore his Achilles, he got up, hit his two free throws, and walked off the court under his own power. That is the personification of who Kobe was as a player, competitor, and as a person in his every day life. He worked tirelessly to come back and keep playing the game he loved so dearly. The love for his franchise and the game as a whole, is one that you see once in a generation. His legacy is one that extends beyond just the NBA or the sports world in general, he was an example of how great the human spirit can be even through adversity. Beyond a basketball player, he was a husband, father, son, brother, and a kind human being that pushed and inspired everyone he reached in one way or another, to be great and reach their full potential. He was one of the best to ever do it, he made the game damn fun to watch. You will be dearly missed beyond just the basketball world. But you gave millions of basketball fans around the world some great memories on and off the court. The only thing left to say is: Thank You.
Rest in peace,
Kobe Bean “Black Mamba” Bryant
posted by aguila at 12:55 AM
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