IN KOBE Bryant's final NBA game against the Utah Jazz, he scored 60 points. No one saw this coming. A retirement game is supposed to be a game that shows the decline of the prowess of the retiree. Not Kobe. He is so special. It seemed like the gods of basketball gave him a distinctive farewell party on the game he loves because of the legend that he is. It was like a script for a movie. The reality of his passing came Monday, for legions of people, friends and acquaintances, strangers, and fans, I included, around the world, has never been harder to swallow.
Yes, like any other death, the demise is untimely, but more than its untimeliness, this came shocking and so damn devastating. Heartbreaking. Heart piercing. Words, for many, cannot describe the kind of appalling catastrophe. I am an ordinary fan, but the loss felt heavy in the chest and bitter in the eyes. Kobe, for the past decades, has become one of the faces of NBA and basketball in general. His love for the game, his passion for winning, and the unquenchable thirst of becoming one of the greatest, if not the greatest of the basketball athletes got the attention of the world. This passion for winning combined with his superstar basketball skills hooked millions of fans around the globe. "Kobe" and "MVP" are chanted in courts when he plays. With his example, basketball did not only become a mere sport, but it also became a life's model of achieving the best version of oneself. "Mamba mentality" was born.
The sports world and the millions of fans were ecstatic in his accomplishments during his NBA tenure. Michael Jordan somehow passed the leadership torched to the young Bryant. Through his tenacity, the league remained a valuable part of society after the Jordan era. He consistently competed at a high level and superstars were eager to compete with him. Young and seasoned players were excited to play with him because of his mentorship and positivity. Fans wanted to see him, cheer for him, and be one with his desire to win. With his injury, his last seasons in the NBA did not make his Laker team competitive but his sheer presence, his name being listed as an active player, makes veteran and young players feel contented because they know they have Kobe with them. The court will be different without Kobe.
He was the kid who openly challenged the throne of Jordan. But unlike many challengers of the throne, fans learned to embrace and love him because he was a true and loyal breed of the sport. He never betrayed the game of basketball. When he plays, he gives everything he has. He gave no excuses. He did not complain. He gave his hustle, his energy, and all his heart. He was a true ambassador of the sport. So the sports world respected him. Basketball remained a renowned aspect of the societal movement, not merely a sort of entertainment or business. People like him, elevated the sport to become the greatest basketball organization all over the world.
Kobe was a superstar so fans adored him but more than his skills and talents, he was a hard worker and a true-blooded competitor, so fans admired him more. He was a challenger to the basketball supremacy but never became a villain because of his genuine love for the sport. He transcended the sport in both its meaning and scope. He was one of the primary catalysts of bringing the NBA outside the United States. China embraced basketball because of a few athletes like him. He visited the Philippines 6 times in the name of basketball and for it, he became an adopted son of Philippine basketball society.
The sports world forgave his retirement because he has given everything he's got. There are injuries that limited his skills and talents in the court. Sports cannot ask for more. Yet, people are excited to witness what happens in the next chapter of his life. He was already busy starting this next chapter by putting several basketball programs. He was inquisitive about business. People wonder if he will someday own an NBA team like his idol, Michael Jordan. How would he look if he decides to become a coach or a basketball analyst? Kobe Bryant was only 41 and life for many is only commencing. The sports world was not ready to lose him yet because of the things he will do. What happens next?
And the final dagger, aside from the seven people with him in that helicopter crash, he had with him his successor in the basketball court, his 13-year-old daughter (Gianna). Nobody knows how his wife is putting up the fight, losing two basketball superstars in the family. But the family was not only at a loss in these moments, the world too.
For a long time, just like others have in mind, the Los Angeles Lakers will never be the same, the NBA will never be the same, and basketball will never be the same. For a long time. Thank you, Kobe. Rest in peace with your girl and the seven with you.
