Remembering #24

Remembering #24 - Kobe Bryant (1978-2020)

As I reflect on the last blog entry I posted last week, the one about leaving a legacy, it gave me a bit of a shudder and felt eerie to reread, considering the events that occurred on Sunday, January 26, 2020.......

As a basketball player, myself, being only a few years older than Kobe, his was a name that was known whether you followed basketball or not. You knew who Kobe Bryant was. He was a phenom; a stand out at a young age. 17 years old and being drafted into the NBA from high school, beginning a legendary career at 18....unheard of in my high school years. People truly thought he would fail. He was too young. He proved them wrong and ultimately had an amazingly successful NBA career, having not just one but TWO jersey numbers retired for the LA Lakers. 

I raised a basketball player. My youngest daughter played for 12 strong years and she was my first thought when I heard the news of Kobe's passing (my dear friend, Toom was the second person I thought of....he always reminded me of Kobe!). I've truly cried many tears for a person I've never met, because I know how he influenced my daughter. She listened to Lil Wayne's Kobe Bryant before all her games, it was her 'get in the mentality' song. She respected the player Kobe was and because of him, she LOVED the sport, as evidenced by her tweet after learning of his death and a comment she left on a Facebook status posted about Kobe.

And while I am choosing to focus this blog entry on Kobe, if I'm being perfectly honest with you all, what hurts my heart the most and causes the tears to flow freely, is knowing that his 13 year old daughter, Gianna, was with him. She was the future of women's basketball. At 13, she was already a standout. I mean, come on, with Kobe Bryant DNA in you, how could you NOT be, right? The children who were on that flight with their parents, that last moment of terror, and what those parents must have felt, knowing they could do nothing to protect their children in that moment. I can only imagine what their last moments together must have looked like. No, that's not even accurate. I can't. I can't imagine those last moments.

Those who know OF Kobe, know that he had a bit of a mar on his name dating back to 2003 and allegations of rape and sexual misconduct. He was arrested in 2003 after a sexual assault complaint was filed against him in Colorado when a 19-year-old hotel employee claimed that she had been raped by Kobe. While that certainly was damning to his reputation at the time, and is still something people choose to remember about him, Kobe was STILL a man that people ended up looking up to. His lessons, on and off the court, are timeless. He showed teammates and fans what it looked like to lose with grace and dignity and win with humble pride. I am a firm believer of the idea that you have to take the good with the bad when remembering someone of his fame, but you can choose which focus you want to take. I choose to remember the basketball icon, the man who introduced the world to the Mamba Mentality, the man who's name is synonymous with success, the man who believed in philanthropy, the family man, the man who believed in leaving the world a better place.

When I heard of Kobe’s passing, the movie The Sandlot immediately came to mind (which is weird I know....that's a baseball movie, right?!?). In the movie, the ghost of Babe Ruth tells Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez "Remember kid, there's heroes and there's legends. Heroes get remembered, but legends never die. Follow your heart kid and you can never go wrong." Kobe is a legend. He’s left a legacy for those who followed his career and his life story. Follow your heart and you can never go wrong. Kobe did just that.

I'm still struggling with this news today, two days later. Kobe was the GOAT of the NBA (challenge me, please), playing his entire 20 year career with the Lakers, winning 5 NBA championships as a Laker, being an 18-time All-Star (let that sink in....18 of 20 seasons he was an All-Star), 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive team, 2 time gold medalist in the Olympic Games (although I still do not believe professional athletes should compete in the Olympics - another blog for another day) and named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2008,  come on. G.O.A.T status without a doubt. 

Kobe left a legacy. Years from now, people will still be shooting balled up paper into a trash can and shouting, "KOBE!!!!" as they fade away from the shot. Years from now, people will still remember the amazing legend that was Kobe Bryant. Years from now, my daughter will be introducing her child(ren) to the sport of basketball and the legacy of Kobe Bryant.

And for all that, thank you, Kobe. Godspeed and rest in power. May angels lead you in.......