Kobe Bryant
Growing up in Portland and being introduced to basketball in the early 2000s, I was trained to dislike Kobe Bryant. That Lakers dynasty fueled rage and tears in the Pacific Northwest (cue the Kobe / Shaq alley-oop in game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals). For young, impressionable basketball fans, rooting for Kobe was what got you targeted in dodgeball at recess. So, I stayed away from that and chose to be one of the kids targeting those in the child size small #8 Lakers jerseys on the dodgeball court. The Kobe fans always got the last laugh in Portland, however, because they effectively made the Blazers an embarrassment for a better part of a decade.
Despite the numerous achievements throughout his storied career, I stayed true to cultural values and didn’t join the Kobe fan base. And especially when LeBron rose to the height of the league in the late 2000s, my opposition to Kobe and his Lakers grew even further. The only time I truly did root for him as a basketball player was his farewell game where he poetically dropped the mic after notching 60 points that Wednesday night on ESPN 2. On a side note, it still shocks me that Golden State’s final regular season game was given priority on ESPN that night because people wanted to watch them go all out and win that coveted 73rd regular season game against Memphis…we all know how well that worked out for them in the end.
I say this because, even though I was never a fan of Kobe, he always had my respect. And while I did not scream and shout when he dropped 81 or hit that ridiculous game winner over D-Wade or see his team convince another to accept a trade that included Kwame Brown, I was still left in awe by what I just witnessed.
As I reflect on Kobe Bryant, his legacy is no doubt the powerful Mamba Mentality that has become a motivator to so many, but I think more attention in this discussion needs to be given to something else: the importance of passing yourself on to the next generation. Kobe was such a historian of the game; as he aged in his career, a huge focus of his was instilling the wisdom that he received onto today’s up-and-coming players. We see it in how the stars talk about their interactions with Kobe, it wasn’t just about trying to get their childhood hero’s autograph; it was how he imparted his knowledge to challenge them and aid their games.
So for Kobe, I don’t think his accolades tell the whole story. They honestly pale in comparison to how highly he is regarded. His career was far from perfect and there were gaps in his success, but who cares. We all see Kobe as an icon that will forever be immortalized in the NBA and who had EVERY basketball fan’s respect, even those who weren’t his fans.
And even though he is not competing on the floor anymore, his forever legacy is always going to be continuing to move the game forward, because that job will never be finished.
