A Kobe-hater's salute to the Mamba
- KAS
- Apr 14, 2016
- 4 min read
If you watched the final game of Kobe Bryant's career, a regular-season match up against the Utah Jazz, then you probably noticed the crowd's cheers every time he touched the ball. If you've even heard of basketball, then you know why.
If you've casually watched a few Lakers games in the past 20 years, then you likely saw Kobe embarrass your favorite player and he almost certainly made your jaw drop at least once.
If you even followed any aspect of Kobe's career at all, then you recognize Kobe Bryant isn't simply a good player, he's one of the best to ever lace up. *Sigh.* And if you are a fan of the game then April 13, 2016 was a very sad day for you too.
We don't have to pretend our relationship with Mr. Bryant was full of hugs and smiles because it really isn't tough to dislike the guy. Kobe's arrogant, selfish and condescending. He's physical, loud and flashy. Instead of a lay-up, he'll dunk. Instead of a pass, he'll shoot. Instead of grace, he'll boast. He believes himself to be the best basketball player on the court at any given time and he has never shied away from letting the world know. He embraced the villain role and did it with style.
20 years with the same team. A career stuffed full of buzzer beaters, championships, accolades and a sneaker deal that produced shoes I actually like. He's the Kanye West of basketball. Not quite like the human Satan we call Christian Laettner, but a much better, shinier, more respectable version of someone we love to hate.
He thrived off criticism and used "haters" as motivation. Kobe's career fell at basketball's peak of physicality when teams were centered around a big man - and as a guard, he still thrived. He snitched on teammates, called for their trades, bullied them into playing better and relentlessly slammed his heart through a hoop night after night for two decades.
Oh yeah, he also racked up 60 points in his career finale at 37 years old - in case you missed that.
The good, the bad, the shocking and the irritating all combine to make Kobe nothing short of tremendous. Even when we hated him, Kobe demanded our attention and respect. He changed the game by playing it with style, skill, honesty, dedication and raw passion; and even when others tried to change him, Kobe Bryant never budged.
Five Championship titles. Two-time Finals MVP. One Season MVP award. 18-time NBA All-Star. 11-time NBA First-Team honors. Two scoring champ titles. Two Olympic Gold Medals. One Slam Dunk Contest title. 26 50+ point games. Third on the all-time scoring list and first on the Lakers'.
And now holds the highest scoring total of any NBA player in their career finale.
SHEESH. I don't like the Lakers and I regularly showed hate for Kobe throughout all my 22 years, but even I can't deny how absolutely phenomenal this man has been. Forget basketball, Kobe Bryant is one of the best competitors we've seen in any sport at any time. He studied the game in the same way a general plans for battle. The bigger the pressure, the bigger the performance we were given.
Kobe brought out the best in teams, even if only for the sake of beating him.
From basketball fans worldwide, I'd like to thank you for spending more than half your life dressed in purple and gold. I don't appreciate all the buzzer beating shots against the Blazers but I thank you for your passion and I thank you for your dedication to excellence.
I never liked you, Kobe - but I'm warming up to you. You're a grown up now and you've strayed away from that ruthless, harsh competitor. You've stopped enacting this "too tough for you" performance and trying to anger all your opponents into bringing their A-game. A few injuries have even brought your ego back down to tolerable levels. You're still that poisonous snake but you stopped biting those around you at every chance.
Kobe entered the league when I was three years old. I don't know what it's like to watch basketball without him and if I wasn't so tough, I'd consider shedding a tear right now.
He played through injuries and hardship, never settling for less than domination. The Charlotte Hornets gave away their 13th pick 20 years ago and since then, he sought punishment for anyone who cast him outside first place again. Kobe chased greatness and he did it the right way - through diligent work, mental toughness and a pureness of passion that we may truly never see again. He never cheated the game, relied on luck or considered a short cut, instead always offering up an honest effort. Kobe Bryant changed the game for the better and inspired athletes everywhere to reach beyond what's simply talented or good enough.
He didn't quit and he never rested. You just can't duplicate someone who could always do things his way, the right way and the best way... all at the same time.
He's a King. He's Lakers royalty. He's Black Mamba.
The man, the myth, the legend. He is Kobe Bryant and now he is retired. We'll miss you, old man.
Mamba out.
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