Remembering Kobe Bryant
What does one say about Kobe Bryant?
How do you describe someone who you've seen your entire life, but never talked to? Someone who changed your mindset but never told you to do it; all they did was put in the work.
As someone who has followed basketball their entire life, I can tell you that the Black Mamba was someone I didn't like. He destroyed my teams and made them tremble whenever he hit the floor. The Toronto Raptors still have nightmares of his 81 point game. The Utah Jazz continue to cry about his final game, the 60 point burst that sunk their playoff hopes in 2016. Every team has a "Kobe destroyed me" story.
As someone who has work ethic, I respected Kobe. It was Mamba Mentality. That respect came after his fifth championship, when I started to follow basketball much more intensely. The number 24 meant more: this was the amount of hours in a day that he worked. Stories of his work ethic are legendary in nature, from workouts at 4 AM to taking 800 shots before the game.
As someone who knows what love is: Kobe was a wonderful and devoted father. From the way that he treated his wife Savannah to the way that he treated his four daughters: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri. His instagram became a love letter to his family. That was the Kobe that I became a fan of, which coincidentally happened after he stopped destroying teams that I supported.
As an artist, he did release "K.O.B.E" with Tyra Banks, which wasn't great, but it was something. It doesn't matter what his musical career was, to be frank. What matters is what he left behind. The memories, the mindset and the love for his family. Artists - and people in general - should understand the positives of someones life and try to apply it to their own. The complicated history should also be taken into account, as it can become a cautionary tale.
I stand here as a fan and as a human, heartbroken with what happened to him. Heartbroken for all of the families involved. Heartbroken for the lives cut short, specifically that of Gianna Bryant, his daughter. Thirteen is too young to leave this earth. I truly do pray for all of the people that were affected by this; to all of the other victims.
All I can say is to pray a little more and hold the people you love a little harder. Don't be afraid to the people you love that you love them. Take the time in your day to meditate, get your mind straight and to live the life that is best for you. See the world and everything you want to see, because you never know when you are going to leave it. Don't live a life where your passion is a far away idea: work on your craft until it becomes your reality. Love hard. Be and do good.
Thank you Kobe for the mindset and the drive; the love and devotion to everything you did. You taught this young kid from Canada that dreaming is great, but the work needed to get there is so much better.
Rest in peace to Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant and all those who were involved.