I remember the night he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, then proceeded to tell them he wouldn’t play for anyone other than the Lakers, his childhood dream team. He was one of the first draft picks, along with Kevin Garnett, to be drafted straight out of high school, unheard of in the mid-90s.
I remember how hungry he was for it as an 18 year old, scoring brilliantly one moment, then launching consecutive airballs in a crucial playoff game in the next. How he wanted to compete against Michael Jordan, telling him he could beat him one on one. Always one to appreciate confidence, MJ became a fan that day and later revealed that Kobe may have truly been able to beat him in his prime because he “stole all my moves.” Imitation as the sincerest form of flattery. Ever the learner Bryant was.
I remember the early struggles with the Lakers, how they always seemed to be on the brink of success but couldn’t quite pull it together, even with the most dominant center in history, Shaquille O’Neal, on board. Then Phil Jackson came along and tapped into Kobe’s greatness, greatness that extended behind his athletic abilities and into his mind, resulting in 3 consecutive championships.
Kobe’s greatness, though, largely transcended the basketball court. A kid who grew up in Italy, spoke fluent Italian, went to high school in Philly but never quite fit into a solely American upbringing, having been raised around the globe through the travels of his journeyman father, Joe. Just a few weeks ago, Luka Doncic turned around as he threw an inbounds pass and noticed Kobe sitting behind him. What got Luka’s attention? Kobe was addressing him in the Mavs star’s native Serbian. There’s just not many individuals, much less athletes, who can pull that off.
I remember the early, always-present McDonald’s commercials, the feuds with Shaq, then with Phil, how it all nearly came crashing to an end in Colorado during one ill-advised weekend. How Kobe came back with Psalm 27 tattooed on his arm and a million dollar ring on his wife’s hand, determined to repent.
He could score at will, but basketball to him was more than just stat lines. It was more like a dance, a waltz that he himself was orchestrating. There’s a video of him narrating a game he played in 2008, directed by Spike Lee. The cameras give an overhead angle, and it’s just Kobe commenting throughout. His insight is incredible.
There was Kobe the insomniac, who stayed up most of the night reading books and reaching out to business tycoons and effective executives, who was just as content to have a conversation about anything intellectual as he was athletic.
The Kobe who was one of the most gifted athletes ever, yet still refusing to let anyone outwork him, in the gym or in life. The Kobe who eventually became a teammate, never losing that competitive fire while learning to intentionally channel encouragement to those he led. Who can forget when he swung his arms out wide after draining an impossible, game-clenching 3 against Phoenix in the 2010 playoffs, a sign that he was simply landing the plane? Two more consecutive championships resulted, for a total of 5.
Or what about the ever-controversial turned world peace-loving Ron Artest thanking Kobe and the rest of the team for giving him another chance when no one else would. Or Kobe bringing his wife and daughters to games with him. Over and over again. That however difficult it may have been to forget the accusations and the adultery of years gone by, it was nevertheless also impossible not to recognize a genuine, doting father proud of his girls. The most famous athlete in the world promoting other sports, and more importantly, girls in sports.
News like this is shocking precisely because Kobe’s influence went beyond the hardwood. World-famous in the most literal sense, he made us want to pursue excellence, to get the most out of every breath of life. That the God who created us has put us on this earth to bring him glory, to the very best of our ability. And for that we owe him our thanks. And to his family and all affected, our prayers.
