by Ben Arthur |
From the first time I sat down to watch a Lakers game with my dad at the age of five, I was glued to the play of a then-21 year-old Kobe Bryant. I loved everything about him. His nappy afro, that patent fade away jump shot, the impeccable footwork and the signature fist clench after a good play.
Bryant is the reason why I fell in love with basketball. He inspired me to pick up a ball. And I wasn’t the only one.
The murmurs and whispers have swept across the NBA this season, but now it is official. The Los Angeles Laker star has announced he will hang up the sneakers after this season, his 20th.
In a farewell letter to his fans, Bryant expressed that the wear-and-tear of the game has caught up to his 37 year-old frame.
“My heart can take the pounding, my mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye,” Bryant wrote.
He is indisputably one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a basketball court. The accolades speak for themselves. He has won five NBA championships, two Olympic gold medals and made 17 All-Star games. He will also finish his career third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Beyond those great achievements, Bryant has been the spark to the exceptional crop of players that we see in today’s game.
He is the Michael Jordan of this generation.
Indiana Pacers forward Paul George, a two-time All-Star, told the Indianapolis Star that he would often imitate Bryant’s moves in his front yard as a child after watching him play on TV.
“Kobe was my Jordan,” George said. “Watching him win championships, I remember being at home just watching the games with my mom, my grandma and my dad and just idolizing him.”
It’s true, he is our Jordan. It’s been a privilege to watch him play, from the 81-point outburst against the Toronto Raptors to the fade away right-elbow jumper to take down the Phoenix Suns in a 2006 Western Conference Playoff match.
Bryant’s passion for the game has stood out above all else. No one has ever questioned his work ethic. He has set the bar high for the players who have followed him. His notorious four o’clock in the morning workouts are what legends are made of.
[graphiq id="cMFaPlc6XDn" title="Kobe Bryant Games Played and Missed By Season" width="600" height="488" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/cMFaPlc6XDn" link="http://basketball-players.pointafter.com/l/88/Kobe-Bryant" link_text="Kobe Bryant Games Played and Missed By Season | PointAfter"]
LeBron James, a four-time MVP and two-time NBA champion, told ESPN that Bryant has been a constant motivating factor in his play throughout his career.
“Every day that I didn’t want to work out or every day I felt like I couldn’t give more, I always thought of Kobe,” James said.
There will be a flood of emotions that come to me when I watch Bryant exit the floor for the last time at the end of the season. He has been in the NBA for all but a year of my life.
Jordan handed the torch to Bryant. With Bryant’s farewell, James, Stephen Curry and James Harden will keep the fire going.
Although Bryant’s afro days of my childhood are long gone, his legacy remains in tact. Not only through the players he has inspired, but in my personal “game.” Whenever I crumble up a piece of paper and shoot it like a basketball into the nearest garbage, only one name ever comes into mind.
“Kobe!”
Ben Arthur is a sports reporter for The Beacon. He can be reached by email arthur17@up.edu or Twitter @KingArthur_425
