I was about 12 years old, and I had just finished a soccer tournament in Southern California. As my dad and I packed up our belongings and got ready to check out of the hotel, he turned on the TV to a sports channel. We talked about how my games had gone that weekend, how my team looked, and the positives and negatives of my performance, while the voices on the TV simply served as background noise. As my dad and I discussed, something on the television caught my eye. I watched as a man in a Los Angles Lakers jersey exploded past his defender with a quick spin-move into a jump shot. The ball sailed into the basket, and number 24 of the Lakers jogged to the other side of the court with a satisfied, yet still venomous expression on his face, as if he was ready to strike again at any moment.
"Who's that?" I asked my dad, intrigued and impressed by the effortless display of skill and tact I had just seen.
"Kobe Bryant."
I was no stranger to the game of basketball at that point; I had just begun playing in a junior league, so I knew all of the general rules and regulations. And of course I had some idea of the name "Kobe", because who didn't? But that day in the hotel room in Southern California was when I first became a fan of basketball, and more importantly, a fan of Kobe Bryant.
From that point on, I followed the Los Angeles Lakers religiously--mostly because I was a fan of Kobe, but a Lakers fan nonetheless. I remember coming home from school, excited to watch Kobe annihilate his competition. His ability to drain a fadeaway jump-shot with three defenders on him, his quickness on both offense and defense, his insane 360 dunks--I was mesmerized every time I watched him play. And it was not only his talent that amazed me; it was the way he carried himself. He had an aura of greatness, confidence, many might say cockiness.
As a somewhat obsessive follower of Kobe, I did research on his previous seasons and statistics, reading article after article on his career, highs and lows, criticisms, and accomplishments. What stood out the most to me was how dedicated Bryant was to his sport. Fellow NBA players and coaches had story after story about just how hard he worked. Extra hours in the gym before and after practice, and before and after games. He played as if it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals at every opportunity he had on the court, no matter how insignificant the practice or workout. He was always striving to improve, always striving to be the best player in the world. You could see the fire and the passion in his eyes as he took the court every night. He was the ultimate competitor.
This past week marked the end of Kobe Bryant's career as an NBA player, a twenty-year career filled with accomplishments including five NBA championships, two finals MVP trophies, a league MVP award, participation in eighteen NBA All-Star games, four All-Star MVP awards, and countless records broken. Kobe's years with the Lakers were nothing short of legendary. He was, and will continue to be, an inspiration to athletes and people everywhere for many years to come.
