I needed a place to put down my thoughts. Hope you all don't mind.
First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers with the Bryant family and their close friends. The loss of so many lives, including those young kids, it's just horrible.
I remember watching Kobe his rookie year. At least I think it was his rookie year in the 96/97 season. The Lakers were playing Utah (again, memory fuzzy, but I could swear it was them). Kobe came off the bench, and played hero ball. Totally took over. And you can see his teammates standing around like "WTF?" At the time, I was appalled. I mean, this punk ass kid, showing up everyone and ballin' out. Sure, he was talented, but that was ridiculous. I remember thinking he should ride the pine after that. And low and behold, he did. I think he was benched the next game as a punishment and as a lesson. But you could tell there was something special about that kid.
The next time I remember seeing him, and I can't recall the opponent, he was still a rookie. I think it was a playoff game, again against the Jazz, and he shot like shit and airballed. He only played a few minutes, and I recall saying something to the effect of "this kid better learn some humility, because he's going to be shit unless he figures out how to play within a team." Well, we all know that Kobe did indeed figure it out. I loved watching him play basketball, particularly as he grew older. He had that knack that only Jordan had -- you knew he could score anywhere, at any time, and played rope-a-dope early on, toying with the opponent and just feeling it out, setting up guys and making everyone better. And then, like Jordan, he took over. And you knew if he got on that roll, you were screwed.
When the news came out about him cheating on his wife, and the unclear story whether it was consensual or non-consensual, I really lost a lot of respect for Kobe Bryant. His wife Vanessa, I thought was weak for forgiving him. And I thought that she did herself a disservice because of Kobe's wallet, and she wanted to live a lifestyle at the expense of her integrity. It really bothered me, and I remembering checking out of the Kobe fandom after that. But as he grew older, had children of his own, and matured, I noticed that Kobe seemed (at least in the public eye, and not knowing him or anyone he knows at all) particularly focused on being a good husband, and later, father. He made big strides to almost live every day realizing what a huge mistake he made, and seemed to try and make sure he earned the forgiveness from his family. He took it to another level with his daughters (again, at least what you can see in public). As a father, as a coach, everything. He seemed to live every day continually trying to be the best father and family man he could. And while I don't know him, my thoughts shifted, thinking that unlike a lot of famous people who get caught doing something wrong, and pay lip service with fake apologies, that Kobe truly did realize what an idiot he was, and lived a life repenting from his infidelity. It just FELT like that to me. I could be way off. But he matured, and realized he should spend the rest of his life showing the right example to his daughters. I respected that.
During his last game, while it was overly indulgent, I saw that maturity. Kobe wasn't looking to score 60. His teammates were making him shoot. And while he missed a boatload of shots, given all the injuries he had, it was an amazing performance. I thought the "Mamba Out" mic drop was dumb, but overall, watching that maturity of Kobe over the years, I really came to appreciate his dedication to his work, his devotion and repentance to his family.
As the father of a young girl myself, yesterday made me bawl like a baby. All those children on that helicopter, gone. And now all those families suffering. I feel that in any similar situation, but obviously the high profile Bryant family and the spotlight on it just deepened the sadness. Hug your kids folks. And if you haven't been a great parent or spouse - be one. Because it isn't about always getting it right. It's about the effort to be a better parent and spouse and how much you care. That's what's remembered when you're gone.
Topic: Kobe Bryant died (Read 13760 times)
