What can I truly say. Kobe, you mean so much to me. When I first got the news, it was from a group text. I like most dismissed it as fake news. But slowly more and more texts appeared, and soon my brother would call. And that’s when I realized it was real. I was at a weekly visit to my grandma’s house, when I got that call, and as hard as I tried to keep it together in front of her. I couldn’t. My heart kept sinking, and tears kept flowing. I, like the world, am heartbroken. But I don’t want to talk about the pain anymore. I want to talk about what you truly meant to me.
When I was in the 3rd grade, our teacher asked us to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up. I didn’t draw you, but I drew myself as a Laker with number 8 on my chest. And in the caption, in typical Kobe fashion, I basically wrote that I wanted to be the best basketball player to ever play. My ambition, comes from you. In high school, I always told myself if I don’t get into a top college I would have failed, but thank god I did fail because that helped build my character and who I am today. This is was my 4 airballs in Utah moment. It was a huge wake up call for me. My four years in college, I always told myself if I don’t get into a top 10 tech company I would have failed. Getting a position from Salesforce is my first crack at the playoffs, but that’s only the first step.There’s so much more to do until I can get that chip. As I continue to pursue my goals, you will continue to inspire me. You live through me.
I remember in high school, I had fractured my finger in practice, and I would tape up two fingers together, just so I can come off the bench and play 10 minutes a game. But it was so so important that I play, because that’s what you would have done. Sometimes you just gotta pay your dues and tough it out, even if it doesn’t really amount to anything. It builds character and teaches you how to work hard.
I looked back recently, at some of my journals, and notes from college and high school. Littered throughout all of them are your quotes. I would often turn to them, when I was looking for a source of inspiration. They’ve undoubtedly helped my get through some hard times, and built a lot of my character. Here are some of my favorites:
“If you see me in a fight with a bear, pray for the bear. Ive always loved that quote. Thats “MAMBA MENTALITY” we don’t quit, we don’t cower, we don’t run. We endure and conquer.” – Kobe Bryant
“If making history was easy. Why bother?” – Kobe Bryant
“I’m more proud about the down years because we didn’t run, we played through all that stuff and then got our championships. We did it the right way.” – Kobe Bryant
“You guys know that if you do the work, you work hard enough, dreams come true. You know that, we all know that. Those times when you get up early and you work hard; those times when you stay up late and you work hard; those times when don’t feel like working — you’re too tired, you don’t want to push yourself — but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream. That’s the dream. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. And if you guys can understand that, what you’ll see happen is that you won’t accomplish your dreams, your dreams won’t come true, something greater will.”
My favorite one has always been the one about the bear. Fear is something we all deal with, and seeing someone so fearless, so arrogant to always say he’s coming for Jordan is what we all strive for is inspiring. Fearlessness, which was developed by hours upon hours of working at your craft, is what I have always admired the most about you.
Undoubtedly, the most important thing that you did for me though, was bringing my brother and I closer together. I can’t count the number of conversations we have had about the Lakers. Everytime we talk on the phone, somehow, someway the Lakers and Kobe Bryant always come up.
The reason I’m a Lakers fan is because of my brother. When he was growing up in Australia, he would go to my cousins house and they would always watch Laker games together. My brother was a big Nick Van Exel fan before Kobe and Shaq joined the team. But when we moved to the Bay Area in 1998, that love for the Lakers continued. As I was growing up, the only basketball my family watched was the Lakers because that’s all my brother wanted to watch, so naturally I became a huge fan. We watched you go through ups and downs. We even hated LeBron solely because people have the audacity to say he’s better than Kobe. That’s how loyal we are. Some of my favorite memories as a kid are watching the Lakers with my brother. Those painful Phoenix series, where you tried so hard to carry, but couldn’t. That year we beat Boston, probably the happiest I’ve ever been after a sporting event. And who could forget that insane year you were putting up, where you were dunking on everyone; right when people were getting ready to write you off, when you ultimately tore your achilles. Whether or not we actually watched the games together, we would talk about them for hours and hours.
Tears are flowing as I write this, and as I try to watch this Laker game, but this is something I need to do. Your ethos will always be apart of me. I will keep pushing myself to be the best version of myself everyday. Just like you have done on a level that will forever go unmatched. The one thing that I can truly take solace in is that there are millions of people sharing my pain, and that means there are millions of people who will carry on your legacy every single day. I will try to do my best, to do my part.
I’ll leave you with what I think is your most important lesson: To always love with all of my heart just like you did for your family and your career, and give everything your all. We only get one shot at this. Make it count. You, surely, gave it all you had.
Thank you Kobe. Rest in paradise.
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Prabh
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