On this day a year ago, I was in my room watching the Lakers take on the Warriors as the two teams tried to secure favorable playoff berths in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. Everyone playing showed heart but no one showed it more than the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant (as usual). Prior to the fourth quarter, he had fallen down to the floor, injured, twice. And both times, he stood up, grimaced a bit and kept playing. That was the Kobe I’ve come to know and love. A warrior, a champion, someone who refuses to stay down when he’s fallen. I remember telling myself, “Aww wow, that’s one bad man.”
Then it happened.
With the game winding down in the fourth quarter, Kobe tried to blow by his defender, then-rookie Harrison Barnes, but sort of slipped on a move he’s done thousands of times before. You can tell he was in pain. But after seeing Kobe continue to play after being battered twice in the same game, that little “slip” was meh to me. A foul was called on that play and despite the obvious pain, Kobe calmly knocked down two free throws before being subbed out the game to be evaluated by the training staff in the locker room. The Lakers went on to win the game, thanks in part to that pair of free throws Kobe made. What happened after the game, I never saw coming.
As I loitered around Twitter like I always do after Laker games hoping for post-game news, I’ve read a tweet that devastated me:
Lakers PR team saying Kobe Bryant suffered a probable torn Achilles in tonight’s game. He’ll have a MRI tomorrow to confirm.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 13, 2013
My immediate reaction after reading the tweet was probably how millions of other Lakers fans reacted: mumbling “No!” on and on and on and on. I’ve been extensively studying the NBA (more than I did for school-related stuff) and I’m well-aware that a torn achilles tendon is one of the most devastating injuries any basketball player, no, athlete could have. I and the millions of Kobe fans have always seen the Mamba as invincible, but watching him cry in front of the media as he relays the Lakers’ initial prognosis reminded me that he was human like everyone else.
The thing that initially scared me the most about this is the prospect of never seeing Kobe play a single NBA game again. But I know Kobe better than that. He’s shown time and time again his warrior mentality, how he never allows a challenge or setback to stop him. Kobe’s ex-teammate Metta World Peace once jokingly said that the Mamba would play through a gunshot injury. I know it’s only a joke but at the back of my mind, I know Kobe would at least demand the doctors at the hospital to let him play.
Now that I’ve really thought about it, it’s not Kobe’s insane pain tolerance that amazes me. It’s the mentality that pushes him to tolerate and overcome pain in order for him to succeed that’s really amazing. His desire to rise above a challenge is inspiring. People have already counted him out, saying he’ll never be the great one we’re so used to see. And I can’t blame these people. Kobe is already 35, 17 years in the league. He’s spent literally half his life grinding in the NBA. The wear and tear will get him, right? But the Mamba has proven doubters wrong before, and I honestly believe he can and will do it again. Yes, he did try to play this season, but came another setback — a broken knee. Stack up all the setbacks all you want. Kobe will do all he can to overcome them.
That doesn’t mean I expect him to be the guy who scores 81 points, though. As LakersNation points out, what makes Kobe great is his ability to adapt his game, switch roles and still play at a high level.
Those who say Kobe won’t come back at a high level, haven’t watched him play. Kobe’s greatness comes from his ability to adjust his game.
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) April 12, 2014
Remember when he became a defensive stopper and shut down Kyrie Irving and Brandon Jennings, two ultra-quick point guards who are more than a decade younger? Or the time we call him Kobe Nash after playing point guard and dishing off assist after assist? How about the time he had an off-shooting night against the Celtics of Game 7 in the 2010 Finals where we became a beast on the boards, grabbing 15 rebounds?
Kobe will return and still play great basketball. He doesn’t have to be the scoring machine that he is to be great. Adapting and adjusting his game to better suit the situation is what makes him great. Three hundred sixty-five days after seeing Kobe fall, I still believe he will come back and play at a high level. And when he does come back, the league better watch out. #CountOnKobe
patrickkennan.com 