Thank You, Kobe

Via. The Nation

On January 26th, 2020, the world lost an icon. Kobe Bryant, his 13-year old daughter Gianna, and seven other people were announced dead following a helicopter crash in Southern California. The NBA community & many others are feeling the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant.

This news struck my phone while I was at the gym, and it felt like a ton of bricks landed on my chest. I kept hoping this was a hoax or some kind of farce. It didn’t feel real. Hell, it still doesn’t.

I’m not sure where this article will go, I’m not even sure where to start. Today I lost an idol of mine, one of my biggest role models, aside from my own father. Kobe wasn’t even my role model on the court -I sucked at basketball for the majority of my life. Kobe taught me through his legendary work ethic and commitment to being the best.

My connection to basketball started at a young age living in Indiana, playing in CYO leagues, pick-up games with friends. As the Indiana Pacers and many others from Indiana like to say, “We grow basketball here.” I’ve been a Pacers fan as long as I can remember, but the Pacers aren’t why I love basketball and the NBA today.

My love for basketball was instilled by watching Kobe Bryant.

I remember seeing the endless highlights of No. 8 Kobe Bryant. High flyer, afro, he was incredibly gifted on both ends of the court a three-time NBA champion. Sadly, I was just a young child during the Shaq and Kobe Laker years. They were beyond larger than life.

Then come the days I truly remember, the days in which he impacted me, when Kobe Bryant became my idol, a role model. No 24, Kobe Bryant, “The Black Mamba” days, the days in which he became “A different animal but the same beast.”

Watching Kobe was something that always fascinated me. His ability to remain so calm. His desire to be in the biggest moments. Taking that final shot. Taking the hardest defensive assignment. He was fearless, relentless, the hardest worker. The only thing that mattered was winning no matter the cost.

Take the vaunted 2008 NBA Finals, where Kobe’s Los Angeles Lakers faced their rival Boston Celtics. The C’s got the best of Bean. But how did Kobe Bryant and the Lakers respond though? They came back better the following year, led, of course, Kobe. LA went on to make the NBA Finals again and defeat the Orlando Magic in five games. Kobe averaged 32.4 points per game and 7.4 assists per game in the series.

Kobe wasn’t done. His Lakers got revenge against the Celtics, securing Bryant’s fifth title. This one, as Kobe would say, was the sweetest of them all.

I still remember Kobe playing with an injured finger in that Game 7. Bryant finished with 23 points, with 10 of them coming in the fourth quarter, along with the key pass with a minute left to Ron Artest, the nail in the coffin 3-pointer. Injuries be damned, Kobe was out there battling. It was the competitor in Kobe Bryant that I always admired; he’d play no matter the injury. If there was a game to be played, he’d play. Like so many of us, Kobe’s heroics during this stretch helped turn me into a rabid NBA fan.

It’s worth mentioning that this period saw some world-class defense from Kobe. This often doesn’t get talked about enough. The man was a lockdown defender; I often think about that All-Star game where Kobe put the clamps on LeBron James late.

There’s such an assortment of memorable moments that Kobe Bryant gave us on the court. We all have our favorites. His game-winner over the Phoenix Suns, his one legged game-winner over Dwyane Wade. The entire 2012-2013 season. The Dwight Howard-Steve Nash Lakers, facing chronic injury and underperformance, on the brink of missing the playoffs. Kobe said the hell with that and did everything he could to carry that team into the postseason.

There’s a game in particular that I’ll never forget, one of the most memorable fourth quarter/overtime stretches where, down late against the Toronto Raptors, Kobe Bryant couldn’t be stopped. It was one of those moments that only can be duplicated by the stars. Later on that same year with a ruptured achilles, Kobe calmly walked to the free throw line and sunk both shots.

Although we never saw that same Kobe Bryant again we did get to see the Mamba go out his way: A Lakers win at the Staples Center, getting hot in crunch time en route to 60 preposterous points. “Mamba Out,” indeed.

Whether you like or follow basketball, everyone knows Kobe. Even today, I suspect many of us still reflexively shout his name when tossing something in the garbage. I sincerely hope this tradition lives on forever.

When I was in high school I was on the bowling team; I wasn’t good at basketball. And still there’s one part of my game where I played with smooth confidence. My Kobe-inspired fadeaway. I watched video after video, and I practiced it for hours. It’s the only thing on a basketball court that I’m truly decent at. Thanks again, Kobe. When any game is close I want the ball in my hand, I want to be the guy tasked with winning it. Kobe Bryant inspired me with his level of dedication, work ethic, and his relentlessness to be great.

Kobe has brought me and so many others so much more than iconic basketball shots and moments. In all walks of life I try to carry myself like Kobe. I want to win, to succeed, no matter the cost, I want to be a leader, the best.

In all aspects of my life I have tried to have a “Mamba Mentality.” As Kobe explained best, this means “constantly trying to be the best version of yourself.” All of us could use a little Mamba Mentality.

Kobe’s celebrity is a complicated one, a person far from perfect. I know Kobe himself would never claim to be a perfect person. That’s the thing about the great ones, they acknowledge their transgressions and weaknesses. They learn from them. He just wanted to be great, it wasn’t about making friends or being liked on the court, it was about legacy. Off the court, he strived to be a good man and an even better father.

Kobe Bryant grew to become one of the biggest advocates and supporters of the WNBA. He made himself available to basketball players of all walks of life who wanted or sought wisdom. Kobe became a coach for his daughter’s basketball team and took her under his wing as a protege. In recent years, Kobe’s star burned brightest as a father and husband.

Via. US Weekly

My heart is heavy for the Bryant family and to all those families affected by the losses of today. Life is precious and fragile, things are never truly in our control. Kobe’s passing is a sad reminder to love and cherish all those people in our lives that we hold dear. Be sure to tell the ones that matter how much they matter, how much you love them. Don’t wait.

Thank you, Kobe. Thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for instilling this love I have for the beautiful game of basketball. Thank you for impacting a generation. Wherever the universe has delivered you, I’m sure you’re already making an impact.

“Heroes come and go, but legends are forever” - Kobe Bryant

Via. New York Post