10. Guest 2 speaks his mind: Kobe Bryant

Image sourced from Lakers Outsiders.

Alison: Alright, let’s begin with basketball. When did you first come in contact with the sport?

Guest 2: I started playing basketball when I was 9 and I’ve loved the sport ever since. I started watching the NBA when I was 10. I remember watching the play-offs in 2008 with the Lakers, the season Kobe won his first and only MVP. I vividly remember the Lakers demolishing the Spurs in an easy 5-game series. Ever since that series, I’ve been a huge supporter of Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. It has not always been a smooth ride, the team had a lot of ups and downs from winning championships to finishing with a 17-65 record. Despite that, I’ve always stayed loyal to the team.

Alison: Why this team?

Guest 2: One of the reasons was from 2008 to 2010, they were the most dominant team in the NBA, making it to three straight finals and winning two championships. Another reason would be Kobe and his dynamic play style, he was an unstoppable force on offence and defence, one of the most all-rounded players the game had ever seen. I remember watching one game where a commentator captured Kobe’s popularity with a single statement. To paraphrase: Fans of the opposing team would want the lakers to lose, but would want to see Kobe play well. I think that truly captures his popularity and impact he made.

As for why I followed them when they were down, it’s about loyalty, I guess. You don’t lose faith in a team just because they’re going through tough times. The Lakers have also been the most successful franchise in NBA history, you trust that they will always overcome adversity and rise to the top again. And I believe I speak for most sports fans when I say this as most of you understand that once you form a bond with a team, it’s hard to break no matter what the team is going through.

Alison: Yeah, that makes sense.

Can you tell us more about Kobe?

Guest 2: Honestly, there’s so much I could say about this man, so much to admire about him. I could speak about him for hours, but for the sake of the interview I’ll keep it short.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with him. I’ll do a brief break-down of his career. Kobe was drafted by the Lakers straight out of high school back in 1996 and became the youngest player to play at an NBA game at the time. Having spent 20 years with a single franchise, he was able to bring five championships to the city of Los Angeles. A part of what made Kobe so great was his intensity, hustle and legendary work ethic. I see his play on the court as a metaphor for how people should approach their life, always working your hardest and trying our best. He was not the most athletic, didn’t have the perfect basketball body, but what he had was an unmatched work ethic and love for the game. He showed millions of people that with hardwork and dedication you can achieve the impossible.

But Kobe was never the most liked person on the court. His intensity caused some to hate him but no one can say that they didn’t respect what he was able to do and what he was able to accomplish. I remember when Kobe was asked about being hated, and being too tough on teammates, he had the most Kobe response: “Friends come and go, but banners hang forever”.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to follow his career from the start. But I did experience the second half of his incredible 20-year career. During that time, I experienced multiple game winners, two championships, and an incredible final 60 point performance.

People often say Michael Jordan is the GOAT (greatest of all time) and Kobe was simply a copycat. But to my generation, Kobe was the goat. People wanted to be like Mike, but we wanted to be like Kobe. He was able to inspire an entire generation.

Alison: You gave us an informative account of Kobe’s performance on the court. What about off the court?

Guest 2: His legacy away from basketball started while he was still playing. I think what cemented his legacy was his dedication to what he was doing. He would always give 110%. This was reflected in his life post-basketball. With the amount of money made throughout his career from playing basketball and endorsements, he could have had retired and have his family live comfortably off of that money alone. However, Kobe was not satisfied with doing nothing. Instead, he achieved what many people would have thought to be impossible, just like how he did on the court.

Within one year of retirement, Kobe became an Oscar winner, and created a book series. Looking past his achievements, Kobe had also been an advocate for women’s basketball, fighting for equality, along with supporting youth development in basketball, always being there for younger players that needed his help.

However, Kobe was not perfect. and I feel it’s only fair that we address these flaws. Many of you would know about the infamous case in 2003 regarding the alleged sexual assault. This will be a permanent taint on his legacy. But I believe this is not something to be held against one forever. The key thing is how you atone for your mistakes and how you grow as a person.

In conclusion, I don’t believe anyone has done what Kobe has post-retirement, achieved so much in such a short span. His future was so bright and he was just entering the prime of his life.

Alison: It’s such a shame, really. My heart goes out to his family and everyone that cares about him. May Kobe and Gigi and everyone else who was on the helicopter rest in peace.

How did you feel when you found out about the accident?

Guest 2: Devastated. It’s the only word that can come close to describing how I felt. A part of me refused to believe that something like this would happen. I searched all news articles, hoping to find one piece that refuted all the others I’d read. I remember refusing to believe he had died until the bodies were found. In my mind, he was superhuman and able to do anything. Part of me still believed he had jumped out the last second and was able to save himself. That’s the kind of image I had of Kobe in my mind: always able to achieve the impossible.

For that day, I was still not sure how I was feeling. To me, it felt as if someone I knew had passed even though I didn’t really know much about him, except what the media portrayed. But he really did have a huge impact on my life.

I can only imagine what the people that knew him felt. Even though quite some time have passed now, the whole thing still feel surreal at me at times, when I think that I will never be able to see him again. I think it’s sad because as I said earlier, he was so young and never truly got to live his life. He dedicated 20 years – almost half of his life – to basketball and to his fans and when he finally got to enjoy his life with his family, it was taken away.

At least I know his legacy will live on through the fans that watch him play and the stories that will be told about him forever. And his legacy will live on as every kid will continue to shout “Kobe” as they shoot a basketball, toss a ball of paper into the trash, throw dirty laundry into a basket. #MambaForever.