Kobe Bean Bryant

January 27th, 2020

Kobe Bryant. A six foot six shooting guard out of Lower Merion High School. A fearless assassin on the hardwood. An empathetic father on the sidelines. A mentor to many of the great pro athletes we have today. An inspirational figure to the regular people who aspire to be great. For NBA fans, he will be remembered donning the purple and gold jersey every other night or so, for 20 years, and in those 20 years, he was simply not human. For many others, he was the most human a man of his status can be.

Growing up, I was not a Kobe or a Laker fan, rather a huge fan of the seven-seconds-or-less Suns, and later on the biggest LeBron James fan ever. I spent so much of my adolescent ages rooting against him… that I failed to realize how much he meant to me. Basketball meant a lot to me growing up. As a fan of the sport, Kobe was synonymous with the sport. He WAS hoops. He was showtime. I have spent more time sitting in front of the TV and laying my set of eyes on him, whether it be rooting for or against Kobe, than I have spent on any friend I have had in my life. I have had days filled with joy because of the art he portrayed on the court. I have also had days filled with disappointment due to him giving teams I have rooted for the business. I have gone to the park and shot fade-aways mimicking him. I have jab-stepped with a defender on me trying to be like him. I have attempted to recreate shots he has made appear so easy on television time in and time out. I have bitten my jersey while playing. I have put on the Kobe face after hitting a big shot in a random pick up game. I have pulled my jersey to the side of my chest like he did. He was not just a basketball player… he was a mirror. He was who we all wanted to see in ourselves. He always worked harder than the person next to him. He was the first one in the gym and the last one out. He was a champion. He was fucking great.

Basketball is a sport where the average human being has a higher chance of being struck by lightning in any given year than being drafted into the NBA as one of the 60 picks. Kobe Bryant beat those odds, and then continued to dominate. He is the youngest player to have ever started an All-Star game. He was the oldest player ever to drop 60 points in a game. He was a one of one. He was an icon. In a city of stars, he was THE star. He was… Kobe passed away yesterday, at the age of 41. FORTY… ONE. For anybody else, that is such a short time to live. For a man like Kobe, it was an eternity. It is certainly not important the days and hours you live, but the moments in those days and hours. Kobe gave us an amazing 20 years worth of highlights to look at everyday, and Kobe was not done yet either.

It has been the greatest tragedy of my generation from what I can remember. It is not just a tragedy because of what he had accomplished, but for what he had YET to accomplish. Thank you, Kobe. Thank you for inspiring so many to be better, pushing so many to become relentless in the pursuit of greatness, and setting the example that hard work doesn’t stop even if the dollar signs are growing next to your name. Rest in peace, Kobe and Gianna. My condolences to everyone who suffered a great loss on that tragic sunday… and to Kobe himself, see you at 4 am in the gym in heaven one day.

RealHamid

Related posts:

19.5 million websites across the entire World Wide Web run on the content management system — or CMS — WordPress. It’s a lot of competition to face after you’ve built your website using the CMS. As…

How Yoga transforms your body #yoga #YogaTeacherTraining #dyc #delhiyogaclasses. “How Yoga Transforms Your Body” is published by Delhi Yoga Classes.

India is home to numerous beautiful beaches along its vast coastline. Here are some of the most stunning beaches in the country. Radhanagar Beach: Havelock Island, Andaman and NicobarIslands…