Whenever a player retires, or a person passes away, the lure to romanticize their careers and/or lives is strong. I am, however, not a fan of Kobe Bryant, so the lure is not as strong. Yet I caution myself as I write this piece as I want to get this right. Kobe Bryant, one of the NBA’s greatest players, will be remembered for a great deal of things; he made sure of that. The question is, “What will he be most remembered for?”
How about his five NBA Championships? Perhaps two Olympic gold medals will top your list. There’s that unsavory incident of a sexual crime allegation in Denver, where he ended up not guilty of a crime, but himself confessing to adultery. There was also a civil case that followed which was settled quietly. Maybe his Most Valuable Player Award and multiple inclusions in the All NBA lists? There was his much publicized rift with Shaquille O”Neal which led to Shaq heading to the Heat. How about Kobe torching the Raptors for 81 points in a single game? Everyone probably still remembers his expletive-filled rant at his teammates and team officials during a public practice session just last year. I’m sure many would remember his renaissance man qualities, able to conduct press conferences (including his latest one) in English, Spanish and Italian.
If one remembers Kobe for any one of these, or even all of these, they would not be wrong. They would be incomplete though.
It’s imperative to recognize the passion Kobe had for basketball. In a time when the word “passion” is thrown around more often as an excuse or a platitude, he has been the living embodiment of it.
He had an overwhelming passion for basketball that it figuratively oozed out of him. His passion was so strong that it pushed him to develop a once shaky jumper as an 18 year old rookie into a shot so automatic he could make shots even while turning around and fading away (while being guarded by multiple players). It allowed him to overcome multiple airballs in his early playoff stints to make him one of the greatest clutch players in NBA history. It filled him with an overwhelming desire to win that he single-handedly won with wildly different (often underperforming) teammates. It made him such a basketball junkie that he would often look forward to guarding the opponent’s best player while also being the focal point of the Laker offense. It would develop his game so much that even the talent-laden USA Olympic “Redeem Team,” would need his three pointer to secure the gold medal. On the other hand, it also made him one of the league's most difficult teammates, with players leaving the Lakers not an uncommon sight.
Yes, Kobe is a maddening person. A person and a player so polarizing, it would be infinitely difficult to find a basketball fan who would be ambivalent to him. At the end of the day, you can choose to love him and you can choose to hate him.
Because you are not the game of basketball.
Basketball has no choice but to love him because the love and passion Kobe Bryant poured into basketball will be surpassed by no one.
photos courtesy of nbawire.com, grantland.com and wikipedia
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