Dear, Kobe Bryant
To the late and great Kobe Bryant, I just wanted to say thank you. As a die-hard fan of the Denver Nuggets, I may have despised you at first for always torching my team in the playoffs. However, there comes a time when a person has to give the respect that is due and you more than earned that. Eventually, I went from disdain to wanting to study every aspect of your game. I went from studying you for basketball purposes to studying you for life purposes when the going got rough in my own life.
You may not have been a Denver Nugget, but you were much more than just a player of any certain team. I will never forget your scoring rivalry with Carmelo Anthony in the 2000s. Not to mention, you helped to bless me with one of the best Western Conference Finals Series I have ever seen in 2009. My Nuggets weren’t victorious, but I will never forget that legendary duel with Melo throughout that series. You were an icon, Kobe Bryant, and you will always be – not just in the NBA, not just in basketball, but in the world.
What I Will Take Away From Your Legacy
I will never take your work ethic for granted ever again. When I first saw the news, I wanted it to be fake so badly. Then, as the day poured on, I had to come to the sad realization that you and your daughter, along with the other passengers were headed home. May you, Gianna Bryant, Alyssa Altobelli, John Altobelli, Kerry Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, and Ara Zobayan rest peacefully. As we mourn all your losses, we will not forget what you gave to this world. The best way that I can think of paying you back as a fan of yours is to take the lesson you taught me the best.
Always give 110% in whatever you do, for that is the Mamba Mentality. It doesn’t matter if it’s basketball, my job, or giving my all in being the best son, grandson, and boyfriend there is, I know that that’s what you would want me and everyone who is mourning you to do. So that’s what I’ll do to carry on your legacy. From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you, Kobe Bryant. This generation has LeBron James, the generation before me had Michael Jordan, but my generation had Kobe Bryant. You were not only an inspiration as a Los Angeles Lakers player and basketball icon, but you were also an inspiration as a person as well. In the end, I will always be sad about your tragic passing, but I know I can honor you by applying the Mamba Mentality to all facets of my life.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images