(Usually do funny weekly message board for fantasy basketball. This day last year I had to change things up from the jokes and banter.)
I typed that title and didn’t come back for this part for a few hours. I didn’t know where to start. What to say. Like most of us in here, I got a Kobe jersey hanging in the closet. T shirt with Kobe’s logo in my drawer. Growing up I never picked up a baseball in the batting cages without saying ‘Kobe’ as it clanked off the rim of the bucket. I still say in when I toss something in the trash. Our favorite rapper wrote a song, specifically for him. I remember watching his 81 points highlights the next morning in first period tech class. I remember his random battles with Raja Bell and the suns, Bruce Bowen, the Kings. I couldn’t tell you why but my all time favorite Kobe memory is his game tying 3 vs. the Trailblazers followed by the game winner in OT. Ruben Patterson played the PERFECT defense on Kobe. Knew the Lakers needed a three so he was in Kobe’s grill right off the inbounds. Didn’t bite on the shot fake. Hands in Kobe face, hips literally pressed onto Kobe’s hips. And Kobe cashed it. And then hit a fall away three as time expired in OT down 2. All his momentum going away from the basket as he caught the ball. My brother in law and I talk about that game whenever Kobe comes up in conversation. I’m sure we all have that Kobe moment as basketball lovers. The Kobe memories are endless. The accolades are prestigious. And his impact on the game and those who watched him will be eternal.
When you take a step back, as fans, we ask ALOT of the players we root for. We want perfection. We want passion. We want so badly for the team to win we almost convince ourselves we want it more than they do. That is unequivocally false for Kobe. Kobe was the athlete we all loved, whether a Laker fan or not, because he exemplified EVERYTHING we hoped for in our superstar. Every player who makes the league has immense talent. Every player who makes the league has a work ethic. The reason Kobe Bryant transcended the game and its players, like few others have, is because when you mix that talent with a work ethic and mind set that is unparalleled to most men, you get something that almost seems immortal. And that’s why today hurt so bad. Kobe became immortal to us.
Kobe’s basketball memories will live with us forever, one thing that was brought to light today more than ever was how great it has been watching Kobe post retirement. Kobe on podcasts. Specials on Kobe. Seeing the man behind the myth. Seeing how true drive and determination can manifest into something remarkable. And I’d be remiss to not mention seeing, more recently, moments of Kobe with his daughters. I personally like to LIKE the people I root for. No one is saint, but seeing a world class athlete be a good man and father rings loudly. It’s not their responsibility to be role models, but it’s refreshing when they are.
Today still seems surreal. It may always feel like it’s never true. I mean, ITS KOBE. So my two requests to y’all. 1: Tomorrow when your day starts, DONT be the first person to bring up Kobe. Appreciate those memories internally and when the times comes when someone brings it up, which they will, then speak on it. We live in times where it almost seems people ENJOY telling bad news they think people might not have heard yet. Like there’s some satisfaction in it to them. It’s part of just an overall lacking in humanity that people seem to show more and more often than ever before. 2: DONT wait for a tragic celebrity or athlete passing to be good to the people in your lives. I mentioned something along these lines in the NYE post and really didn’t think I’d ever write anything in here more serious that that. But I also wasn’t ever excepting to hear the news of today’s events either. So once again, be good to the people you love and love you! We may watch these guys everyday, root hard for them, really become fans of them, but that relationship will always be intangible. I’m not here preach and to say ‘go hug your family’ or ‘call your loved ones’ because you should be doing that EVERYDAY.
I know the purpose of this message board is for laughs, but there’s a time and place for that and today this message board serves a different purpose. Heres to Mamba. Heres to his Gigi. Heres to the others on the flight. RIP 8. RIP 24.
