In basketball, if there are people who are ever known by just one name, they are special to the game. LeBron, Steph, Magic, Michael, etc, you instantly know the faces just by the one name. Kobe is one and the same. A generational talent fit into just four letters, no last name needed. His dedication and heart throughout his 20-year NBA career showed the basketball community that, if you wanted it bad enough, you could seemingly will your team to victory. I think it’s safe to say that he willed his team to victory a time or two. As a Celtics fan, I can confirm. My Celtics background never left me with hate for Kobe Bryant however, it always left me with a love and appreciation for both his game and his perseverance.
Career:
My dream as a kid, like many others, was to play professional basketball. Due to that dream, and the fact that I grew up idolizing the game of basketball it was hard to shift away from the big NBA names that surrounded my birth in 1996 and thereafter. LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pierce, Dwyane Wade and of course Kobe Bryant filled up many stat sheets while I was growing up in the early 2000s. I was groomed to hate Kobe because I was a Celtics fan. When I tell you I tried to hate him, I mean it. I couldn’t hate him, though, he was everything I loved about the game of basketball.
His work ethic was like the last guy on the end of the bench trying to get his chance to play, only he was a starter. Every time he failed he shrugged it off and worked twice as hard so that he wouldn’t fail again. He taught you that it was OK to fail as long as you learned from it and used it as fuel to succeed in the future. And his spark helped fuel the Celtics and Laker rivalry back into its true historic form.
I waited for the 2008 Olympics so that it was OK for a kid in Massachusetts to cheer for the leader of the rival Los Angeles Lakers. I remember watching him as he scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to help the United States beat Spain and win the Gold medal. That was right around peak Kobe. He won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player that season, lost to my Boston Celtics in the 2008 NBA finals. However, in true Kobe fashion came back stronger to win the championship in both 2009 and getting redemption by defeating the Boston Celtics in the championship in 2010. The Celtics held a 3-2 series lead that year, only to lose in Game 7 in Staples Center. I’ll admit, I wasn’t Kobe’s biggest fan then, but it came with the territory.
The Injury
Kobe wrapped up his incredible NBA run by coming back from a ruptured Achilles. In the game when he injured his Achilles he proceeded to make two free throws to tie the game, hobbling off the court and into the tunnel toward the locker room.
I speak for a lot of people when I say, we knew he would be back. The Kobe that everyone knew wasn’t going to leave the game of basketball on anything but his own terms. He played three seasons after rehabbing his ruptured Achilles and got his last shot at each team for the final time in the 2015-2016 season. His last trip to TD Garden in Boston was a strange one for him. Cheers, this time replaced boos and the tires on his farewell tour continued to spin. The city of Boston appreciates greatness and it’s hard to think of basketball and not think of Kobe’s greatness.
Thank You:
In my basketball life, since Kobe came into the NBA the same year I was born, all I’ve ever known is Kobe Bryant and basketball. He was a basketball icon, one of the greatest players to ever play the game and a legend in his era. He also taught us that a person can be more than the sport that they play. Kobe was by far bigger than basketball. So with tears in my eyes, I thank you, Kobe. Thank you for being more than just an athlete. Thank you for never settling for “good” or “great”. For inspiring an entire generation of basketball players to push through adversity just like you did. For reigniting the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. Thank you for just being yourself every time you stepped into the spotlight. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything. Mamba forever.
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