It’s been five days since the passing of Kobe Bryant and I finally have the willpower to write a post about him. It hasn’t been easy for me (and virtually everyone that loved him) over the past couple of days. Every time I tried to type something about Kobe on my computer I completely lost it. I still find it hard to believe he’s gone. A forty-one-year-old man who was just getting started in the second phase of his life, taken off the face of the earth just like that, without warning. Life is unpredictable. Cruel.
And to add salt to wound, his thirteen-year-old daughter, Gigi, also left this world with him in that tragic helicopter crash. I saw the footage of the actual crash and I can tell you that is a horrible way to die—knowing you’re going to die but can do nothing about it. Just like her father did in the NBA, Gigi was supposed to conquer women’s basketball, but death had other plans. May their souls, and the souls of the other seven, rest in perfect peace.
If there’s anything these deaths have thought me, it’s that we should learn to appreciate one another because we wouldn’t be around forever. We should learn to tolerate each other, forgive. Sports was meant to unite us, but it seems to be doing the exact opposite, with rival fans going at each other’s necks just because they don’t share the same ideas or philosophies. The media dishing all kinds of negativity towards the players because they erred as sportsmen, not realising that they’re human and can also err.
The death of Kobe seemed to hit the world of sports, no matter the shape or form. From Neymar making a gestured ’24’ after scoring a goal, to Nick Kyrgios wearing a Kobe jersey in the warmup to his Australian Open match, to the NBA postponing the game between the Lakers and the Clippers in his honour. Kobe was not only a basketball icon, he was and is a sporting legend. We’ve heard of how he was mentor to Novak Djokovic, a guy who plays an entirely different sport. To see grown men, in their numbers all across the world, weep for one man just goes to show how much Kobe meant to the world. I think this is the most painful death in the history of mankind.
Words can’t really describe what Kobe was to me, and many others. I for one started watching basketball because of Kobe, and that can be said of many others as well. The infamous mamba mentality was virtually unmatched. He always wanted to win, and he really didn’t care about what people said or thought about him, he always approached the game the same way every time.
Even after hitting his lowest point as a player and a man, when he was involved in that sex scandal, it didn’t let it bring him down. He overcame it and won back the hearts of his family and fans. That’s the kind of man Kobe was, never letting anything get into his skin. And for heartless people like Evan Rachel Wood to call Kobe a rapist just few hours after his death shows that we still have a long way to go in humanizing the world.
Where Kobe ranks on the list of all time greats has always been a big debate. I’m not saying he was the greatest, but to continually leave him out of the top ten is outright atrocious. I mean, it’s hard to convince me that there are ten guys who are greater than Kobe. And I think he has done enough to be the greatest Laker ever, but that is not downplaying the greatness of the likes of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abduljabaar, Shaquille O’Neal, Wilt Chamberlain and even Jerry West. I’m of the opinion that Kobe just about edges these other guys. Kobe was virtually the king of L.A.
One of the few to be drafted straight out of highschool, Kobe was thought to be the next Jordan, but he really didn’t want to be Jordan—he wanted to be Kobe. Asked in an interview whether he lived up to that comparison of Jordan, he said and I paraphrase, that he was happy to have been the best that he could possibly have been. And I don’t think anyone could argue with that. Kobe gave us the best version of himself. His one MVP title truly doesn’t tell the whole story—he honestly should have had more. Fourth all-time leading scorer in the NBA, five NBA titles from seven finals appearances, two time finals MVP, eighteen time all-star, fifteen time all NBA team including eleven first teams, twelve time all defensive team including nine first teams, and two time scoring champion, all in a career that spanned twenty years. Kobe’s greatness is there for all to see.
Kobe Bryant will surely be missed. I just pray his wife Vanessa and her daughters find the fortitude to bear these great losses, and also the families of the other victims of the crash.
I’m going to end this eulogy with a few quotes from Kobe’s teammates, coach and people he inspired.
“I haven’t felt a pain that sharp in a while. [I’m] 47 years old. I lost two grandmothers. I lost a sarge(father), lost my sister, and now I lost a little brother.”
Shaquille O’Neal
“Kobe was a chosen one—special in many ways to many people. Our relationship as coach/player transcended the norm. He went beyond the veil.”
Phil Jackson
“He was one of the greatest athletes of all time. He inspired myself and many, many other people around the world, and I had that fortune to have a personal relationship with him over the last ten years. And when I needed some advice and support, he was there for me. He was my mentor, my friend.”
Novak Djokovic
“I will be heartbroken for a long time, but I will forever be thankful for having shared so much together. You inspired me and pushed me to be a better version of myself everyday, as you have done with many others.”
Pau Gasol
“I literally just heard your voice Sunday morning before I left Philly to head back to LA. Didn’t think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we’d have. I promise you I’ll continue your legacy man. You mean so much to us all here especially #LakerNation and it’s my responsibility to put this shit on my back and keep it going!! Please give me the strength from the heavens above and watch over me.”
LeBron James
“Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents.”
Barack Obama
Candid Basketball 