Kobe Bryant is finally retiring after twenty years in
the NBA. During his tenure in the NBA,
he has been one of the most dominant, misunderstood, and defiant athletes of
all time. His talent, work ethic and drive propelled him to the very top of the
game of basketball and inspired generations of basketball players. He carried the NBA after Michael Jordan
retired. He is widely considered the
second best shooting guard to ever play the game. Kobe played the game in an aggressive,
never-back-down, in-your-face, style that people either loved or hated. He is an icon and will be remembered and
revered well after his last game in an NBA arena.
What are your earliest memories of Kobe Bryant? My earliest memories of Kobe are not what you
might expect. In fact, my earliest
memories of him are not images of him making game winning shots. Instead, they are of him struggling as a
rookie against a Utah Jazz team. I
remember him receiving a pass at the end of a NBA playoff game. Once he received the ball, he shot multiple air balls. Despite him
temporary failure, you could see that he still felt that he was the best player
on the floor. It is this defiant attitude that has defined his career. Even during times when a normal athlete would
doubt his skills, Kobe never did. So, his courage under fire and willingness to
strive for greatness are my earliest memories of him.
What are your favorite moments of Kobe when he was at
the height of his powers? For me, there
are too many moments to choose just one, or even a few. I remember him being the undisputed best
player in the game for a span of at least ten years. During this period, he was dominant on both
ends of the court. He won five NBA Championships
and an NBA MVP award (he should have won more than one). During one season, he averaged thirty-five
points per game. During that same
season, he scored sixty points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks,
then scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. He won multiple Olympic gold medals; and he
was named to countless NBA All Star Games. He was criticized and applauded for
him game. But, through it all, he
remained true to himself and did things his way.
Watching a player ascend to the top of a sport is a
pleasure. However, there are two sides
to every career—a start and an ending.
So, you always know the end will come. Most great athletes’ skills start diminishing
while they are fighting Father Time. During my time watching professional sports, I
have only seen a handful of truly great athletes exit their respective sports
near or close to the peak of their powers.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Kobe is not one of those
athletes. The past three seasons have
been marked by incredibly bad luck for Kobe.
His Lakers have transitioned from a perennial powerhouse to a literal
laughing stock of the NBA. During this unfortunate
transition, he has suffered season-ending injuries the last three years. Kobe is similar to the late, great Tupac
Shakur in a sense because people always expect him to come back from adversity. However, the end is inevitable for us
all--even the great ones.
This year, Kobe has looked like a fish out of water
on the court. It has been tough watching
him be exposed on the offensive and defensive end. It has been tough watching him shoot air
balls. For the first time in his career, he has found himself on the court with
players who are better than him. This
could not have been more apparent than the Lakers most recent game against the
Golden State Warriors. During that game,
we were able to see two players at opposite ends of their careers. Steph Curry is ascending, while Kobe is at
the end of a historic career.
Although the end is near, fans will get an
opportunity to watch him play his farewell tour. I believe he is still capable of stringing
together some good, but not great, games.
I look forward to seeing him during NBA All star Weekend one last
time. I want to see him battle Lebron,
D. Wade, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and other all time great players at least
one more time. In the meantime, in an
effort to refresh my memory of how great he once was, I have been watching old
highlights reels. Although his days of
dominance are surely over, his legacy is forever etched in stone for
generations of NBA fans to enjoy.
Peace
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