Kobe Bryant Discussion: Mamba Out!

Well, here it goes for me.

Kobe, thank you for allowing a poor little boy to find an escape watching you play. I don't remember your first 2-3 years as a Laker, but I do remember that playoff series when I was 8 for game 7 against the Blazers. My uncle dressed me in your #8 jersey while my cousin had Shaq's #34, and we replayed and recreated the lob you threw to Shaq for weeks after that. That was the start of my love for the Lakers and for your game. You played the game with such a flare your younger years and you dazzled us with your play. I was a white kid asking my mother if I would be able to grow an afro. We all wanted your Moon Shoes (Adidas Crazy 1's). Those first 3 titles you brought to us Laker fans made you a God. You were the reason I started playing AAU basketball, would try and recreate the moves you did in practice. Then 2003 happened, and I hated you. The rape case made me never want to like you again. I wanted you off the team. I kept wishing it was you we got rid of instead of Shaq. I still watched the games and wanted the Lakers to win more championships, but I hated who you were. I got over that hate in 05-06. That 81 point game is what built you back up in my eyes. Plus now I was 13, and was able to separate Kobe the player and Kobe the person. That season you played like a man possessed and your work ethic and determination for greatness was truly amazing to see. Your legend and dominance kept building and building, and you were now the ultimate basketball god to me in 08. Seeing you on the Olympic team, winning the gold, I knew once you got that medal that the Lakers would soon win championships. Your relationship with Pau and Fish from the back to back titles is truly a brotherhood and it is great to see. I remember the Magic series, seeing you win your first without Shaq made all of us Lakers fans feel liberated. Then the 2010 series happened, and man that will forever go on as my favorite title of yours. Game 6 was the same time as my High School graduation, and I had my phone on me the entire time keeping up with that game. Game 7 and winning that 5th championship put you as the GOAT for me and I was happy to see your hardwork pay off. You've instilled a lot of valuable lessons to all of us Laker fans, and it is an honor to have watched you play for this team for 2 decades. Your dedication to greatness is what got that 2012-13 team to the playoffs, even though you were never the same after that. Watching you give your press conference after you tore your achilles was the first time I ever cried watching sports. Seeing you make those 2 free throws, and knowing what we know now, makes you truly that much more of a legend. Even though your play has suffered since, with many injuries, it was great watching your last year as a Laker. All the praise and glory you get tomorrow, you deserve it man. You will always be our MJ, and thank you for the blood, sweat and tears you sacrificed for this organization. Go out and play your game tomorrow and make sure to leave it all out there. Be the best family man you can be now that your career is over, and good luck Mamba.

 

Not sure if this has been posted yet.. Kendrick Lamar's Tribute to Kobe...

 

I will post my VERY LONG written tribute to Kobe tomorrow. It's a super long read. Seriously.

 

Dagger in my stomach. Kobe is done

 

couldnt agree more...i had always wondered what that quote was too. crazy to think it was a holdover from mike brown haha.

mind blown.

i really enjoyed all the insight into it as well...so many things we never heard about until now. just hearing the details of kobes post game ice baths and wearing 3 layers of clothing just to sleep to him refusing to come out and even have dantoni talk to mitch about resting him is so cool to read.

i could argue kobe as #1 all time, but id be willing to defer to jordan. but to me, those 2 are 1 and 1A not saying who is who.

 

Kobe is #3 to me behind MJ and Kareem, but he isn't far behind. Magic is right there as well. How lucky are we that three of those four played for the Lakers?

 

It's What I Do

 

Federer's shoes from yesterdays match...


GAME knows GAME

 

ok now me...



How do you write a letter to someone you don't know, have never met, who will most likely not even receive the letter, and why would you even bother? It seems rather childish in a way. Then again, what if you have watched that person throughout your childhood, if that person was your superhero, if you celebrated his successes and suffered through his defeats. If, even now as a grown-up, you lean on that person for inspiration. Maybe you should at least say something. So here it goes.



Dear Kobe,


today is the day that for a long time I did not think would come. Your career ends tonight and so does my childhood, for a second time.

I remember you during your rookie season, flashy and raw, in a commercial synchronized for German TV, fighting against some form of evil and ending with the ultra-American slogan “believe in yourself”. I asked my mother for a translation. I identified with you early, why exactly I don't know. You were a rising star in a country far away, playing a sport people hardly cared about in my own. But you were young, like me, and hungry, and both eager to learn and confident in your ability, even in defiance of your elders, and I wanted to be that way.

I remember watching you win your second championship in 2001 and commentators would marvel at how young you still were, and how much more you could accomplish. I remember arguing with others, that you were better than the other stars of that time, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, at a stage of your career when the debate was far from settled. I remember trying to emulate your moves and shots on the playground, I remember not being able to fall asleep, knowing that my alarm would ring at 4 am, and I would wake up to watch you play. I also remember being barely awake in the classroom after.

There were times I was frustrated with you, when you publicly argued with Shaq or Phil Jackson, when I thought you should shoot less or rest more. By then, however, you had already earned my loyalty. Unlike other sports teams and stars I have watched, I knew you cared more than anyone. I knew if you behaved immaturely, it was because you were stubborn in your desire to win. And if you played badly, you would work until you had figured it out. And you did, every single time, and I would again sit awake at night, in awe of your play.

I remember the dark years, after Shaq left, when you were surrounded by players only hardcore fans remember today. I hated seeing you lose, but in hindsight I am astounded by you excelling despite the lack of support, and carrying that team to the playoffs. You gave the team a chance to win every night, you did things on the court that are unheard of in this sport, certainly in this era. 62 in 3 quarters, 81 in one game, 9 straight games of 40+, 4 straight games of 50+. No deficit was impossible, no lead was save for anyone.

As I grew older, following your career became about more than watching you play basketball. It became about your attitude, your dedication, your philosophy. Be bold in your expectations of yourself, don't be afraid to upset others by your tenacity, never stop learning, don't apologize for achievement, worry about the process and let the chips fall where they may. Believe in yourself.

I drew inspiration from your approach when learning for exams, when I felt tired or frustrated, when I was unsure whether it was worth it or whether I would succeed. Sometimes, even during times of personal hardship.

Then, again, came the championships, and I watched and celebrated with you. You were vindicated in your way, and so was I as a fan.

And then I remember the 12th of April, 2013, the game against the Warriors. It was a horrible season as a Laker fan, you were the only consistent on that team, and you had publicly guaranteed the playoffs, and you were still scrambling to get there. The season was almost over, you had played almost every minute of every game for the last weeks, in every timeout you looked exhausted, close to breaking down. In that game you almost did, two times. You were knocked to the ground hard, there was silence in the arena, as the crowd, like me at home, was waiting for you to get up. And you did, and you kept fighting, and you kept the team in the game. And then you went down again and I saw you rubbing your ankle and barely getting up, before they went to commercials. When they came back you stood at the free-throw line and calmly knocked down two free-throws, barely planting your left foot on the ground, before you walked off by yourself, to the roaring ovation from the fearful crowd. I stayed awake after the game to wait for a diagnosis. Your achilles was torn. I saw you crying during your interview and promising this was not the last anyone would see of you.

To this day, I have never really outgrown my childish adoration. I have gotten on the nerves of just about everyone close to me for the last 15 years. Family, friends, girlfriends, all had to listen and watch. Some smiled politely, others got annoyed, some became admirers themselves.

At 8 am this coming morning, I will get up to watch you one last time. You have carried yourself through this season, as you did as best as you could the last two seasons. The team was bad and you could not put it on your shoulders anymore. You are not the hero, nor are you the villain anymore. I have become so accustomed to you overcoming opponents and injuries, that this was hard to accept at first. But you seem at peace. I remember you saying years ago, that your wish was for people to say after your career, that you had squeezed everything out of the talent you were given. I think there is no debate you did.

It will be an emotional game, although the game itself will not matter to me. It is a celebration, it is goodbye. It has been a privilege to follow your career for all these years and I will treasure it always. And I will continue to draw inspiration from your way of pushing yourself.


All the best for the future,

Philip

 

If only that achilles didn't happen...

 

I wish they'd incorporate his high assist games into his farewell compilation






I think He had 14 assists against the Thunder in 2013 but I can't find the video...

 

Also

 

Kobe retired in 2013 ( at the same time our organization did) .. He gave his all during this season ( and ended his career) while Gasol , Howard and Nash were complaining about their role/always injured .

Three seasons later , the real Kobe and Lakers are well gone .

I have very strange feelings today .