Growing up, a Los Angeles Lakers fan as a young kid was fantastic; I became a Lakers fan because of Magic Johnson in the late 1980s. Unfortunately, i caught the tail end of Johnson’s career. After Magic left, it was Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones, Cedric Ceballos, and Vlade Divac Lakers. I cheered for them as much as i did for Magic’s Lakers because I was a loyal Lakers fan. Then came the 1996 NBA Draft. In the 1996 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets selected Kobe Bryant. Shortly after being drafted, Bryant was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac.
Just Getting Started
Along with Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal signed with the Lakers, but i had it in mind that Bryant was going to be my new favorite player. It was a tough first couple of years, Bryant barely played in any games. I was such a fan i had my mom go out and buy me a pair of Kobe Bryant first basketball shoes by Adidas. In 1997 Kobe Bryant won the dunk contest, which was a significant achievement for a young player.
When 1998 came around, Kobe started getting some regular playing time and showing his skill and competitive nature. That was the thing I loved most about him that he was so competitive, and he played hard every night.
Bryant’s Greatness
While with the Lakers, Kobe won five NBA championships and made 18x All-Star game appearances. Also, Bryant had other tremendous NBA accolades. Everybody remembers the 81 point game, the 62 point game in three quarters, and all the huge playoff games. But I remember the games on a Tuesday night in Detroit, Wednesday night in Chicago, just your regular NBA games that you enjoyed watching as Kobe and Lakers fan. Also, I got the privilege to watch Bryant play twice in my lifetime; both were incredible performances.
One game that always sticks out to me was in 2004 i think, the Lakers were losing to Tracy McGrady and the Orlando Magic by 20 points. In the second half of the game, Bryant took over the game on both ends of the floor, leading the Lakers back by shutting down McGrady in the second half and leading the offensive charge. The game against the Magic was a testament to Kobe’s competitive nature.
One of the other things i admired about Bryant was his love for women’s basketball. You would see him and his daughter Gianna (R.I.P Gigi) at WNBA and Women’s college basketball games regularly.
I wish people could have appreciated Kobe more when he was alive, he would always get passed over in debates, and people would always try to downgrade what he meant to the NBA. Now that he has passed, you see the love coming everywhere from the media. The Players knew what Bryant meant to the NBA, several players were visibly upset when they learned of Bryant’s passing, and some even missed games due to personal reasons, Chris Paul and Kyrie Irving, to name a couple.
Rest in peace Kobe Bryant you will always be my G.O.A.T.
