Kobe Bryant has blessed the NBA with 20 years of hard work, dedication, and tremendous basketball. His impact to the game is unfathomable and although there are a lot of Kobe fans across the globe, his impact on each person is extremely different.
One thing that stuck with me when it came to Kobe was his grit and his ferocious tenacity to not be stopped. He was feared and people hated him and everything he was about. Players looked at the schedule in displeasure because they saw that the Los Angeles Lakers were up next. He attacked offensively and he attacked defensively. He communicated on the court, he led his teammates, he dove and leaped after loose balls, and he literally gave it all he had for the entirety of his career.
No days off!!!
People these days preach that but not many are really about that. These traits were things that I tried to incorporate into my game and even into different aspects in the real world.
- Be a threat.
- Give it all you got in everything that you do.
- Never give up on what you set out to do.
Kobe influenced a generation, especially us 20-30 year olds that really grew up with Kobe’s career. From the spaceship sneakers (Adidas Crazy One) to the short afro; the Kobe posters to the collector’s cards I still have ’til this day–the multiple versions of Bryant jerseys I’ve collected over the years from 8 to 24. To the Nikes that started out as 100 bucks to the now Kobe’s that cost 200 bucks that I refuse to buy (Kobe I love you but not that much). From the fadeaways in the driveway to the up-and-unders on the hardwood. His stamp was there, all through my life.
There wasn’t a kid growing up that didn’t want to be like Kobe Bryant. He was/is our Michael Jordan. You asked me who the best player in the world was and I’d undoubtedly tell you Kobe Bean Bryant… LeBron James who!? I could sit here and write out all his accolades but you already know by now because he made you aware of it. His legacy will forever live on and his impact will forever be placed on my life. I will attack everything I do in life like Kobe did on the basketball court. I can’t wait for the day I can show my future son YouTube clips of the Black Mamba and show him what greatness is.
Kobe Bean Bryant, I thank you for all you’ve done.
-April 13th, 2016… Mamba Day
