Kobe Bryant in Remembrance
I never liked Kobe Bryant as a player. I said Shaq was the reason they won. I said Duncan was a better player. I said he’d never be as good as Jordan. I relished in seeing his Lakers teams lose. To this day, I still stand by most of that, but after what happened on Sunday, it puts sports into perspective.
I always thought he was kind of a selfish jerk. In his younger years, it seemed that he was out for his own glory over the team’s. He threatened to leave if he didn’t get his way. He came off as if the rules didn’t apply to him. But he was young and brash and rich and believed he was the best.
Did I unfairly judge him based on how he acted when he was 20, 21, 22? Yes. I wouldn’t want people judging me by how I acted when I was in my early 20s. He was always in the public eye and seemed to enjoy being the heel, so it was easy to forget he was human just like all the rest of us.
Kobe had his flaws but seeing him in recent months with his daughter made me think of him differently. He shared a special bond with her over the game they both loved. My kids are young, but I hope deeply that I have something that special with each of them as they get older. Seeing him sitting courtside pointing out the subtle nuances of basketball to his 13-year-old daughter was beautiful.
Death makes you re-evaluate your relationship with people (be it personal or celebrity). I never thought I’d put these words out to the world, but I want to be more like Kobe Bryant as a father.
Kobe still had so much life to live and advice to give. And Gigi still had so much life to live and advice to take in. It is truly heartbreaking.
