Dear Kobe Bryant
Before Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, The Flash and all the other colorful beings in my comic books. Before all rock stars with their glorious hair and melodic screams. I had one hero. And that is you. To you, I’m just one of the millions of members of your #MambaArmy. But to me, you meant a lot. You are an inspiration, an idol. A legend.
You may not know this, nor would you care, 16 years ago, you transformed an 8 year old kid who hated sports into a basketball fanatic. The first time I saw you play was during the regular season of the year of your first championship, December 1999. I believe we had a family gathering at our home and they were watching a Lakers game then. I sat and watched as well as I did not have the rights to the remote control. Adults always win.
I had little hoops knowledge at that point but seeing you and your flashy play enticed me to learn more. It helped that Forum Blue-and Gold was an attractive color combination to the eye, giving me more reason to make the LA Lakers as “my team of choice”. Anyway, there came a point where watching was no longer enough.
I remember the first pickup game I’ve played, I didn’t even know that you had to dribble the ball and not just run with it. I was so embarrassed then.
I decided then to keep watching you and the Lakers more to better understand the game and all its rules and to nurture this newfound fondess of the sport. Of course as a little boy, your aerial highlights are all I cared about and you never ceased to amaze.
One of your earlier plays that stuck in my mind was against the Nuggets, you received a full court inbounds pass, dribbled behind your back and slammed a reverse dunk. That sealed the deal. I wanted to be just like you.
We had a basketball ring installed in our yard and I would practice every single one of your moves that was physically possible for me to imitate. First it was the shot form. Then the acrobatic layups. Then the mannerisms.
And as years passed, I’d move on to bigger daydreams. I would pretend to be you, 5 seconds left in the game, team down by a point, backing down a defender, Dream Shake to the left, switch to the right to shoot your patented fadeaway, the ball swooshing through the hoop as the buzzer sounded. Game over. Lakers win. Rinse and repeat.
I would also take your moves to actual games with my friends. Ask any one of them, and they will answer without hesitation how devoted I am to you. Although I don’t deserve the nickname in a billion lifetimes, they would refer to me as Kobe, in part because i would often steal your moves, and in part because of my encyclopedic knowledge about you.
But beyond the fancy footwork and insane shots, what I’ve admired the most about you is your #MambaMentality. Your focus, tenacity and dedication towards achieving a goal is truly worth emulating. Countless anecdotes have been told regarding all the hard work you put out just to be the best. Who goes to the gym to shoot 1000 shots at 1 in the morning simply because he missed 10 during a game earlier in the day??? Only you, Kobe. Only you. It’s crazy but inspiring. I could never have the drive you have, but I use your way of thinking as motivation whenever things don’t work out as planned.
You’ve always taught me that it’s okay to be the villain sometimes. You thrived during those times where nothing but hate was spewed at you. You used the people’s hatred as fuel to keep your fire burning and again, a trait worthy of emulation.
And today, April 13th, 2016, Pacific Time. You’re playing your last game and to be honest I’m not quite ready for it. It’s going to be weird, watching the NBA without a Kobe Bryant — The hero of Los Angeles, and the villain of 28 other cities — in it. But it’s okay. The moments we’ve indirectly shared together have been more than enough. I’ve cried with you in 2004 and 2008 (that one hurt the most) but I’ve also screamed for joy with you in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, and 2010. I will always cherish those memories. I really wish you could make more, but alas, as you said in your letter called Dear Basketball:
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.
So Kobe, I wish you all the best in life after basketball. Thank you for all the dunks, ankle breakers, fadeaways, game winners. Thank you for the 5 championships that you helped bring for my favorite team. Thank you for everything you’ve done for basketball.
#KB20 #MambaDay
patrickkennan.com 