RIP Kobe
Need to take a break from Sixers to honor the man Kobe Bryant, tragically passing away yesterday with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a freak helicopter crash.
I remember in 6th grade, sitting on the bleachers of my middle school gymnasium waiting for class to start and my gym teacher discussing with other students about Kobe taking Brandi to the prom. This memory is etched into my brain, before I was really that interested in pro basketball beyond what the Bulls were doing. Really, this was in 1996 when the Sixers were terrible and Allen Iverson was still a year away from getting drafted. But I knew about Kobe, despite Brandi being a much bigger celebrity at the time.
Fast forward to 2001, and Kobe was the villain. Our hometown hero had vanquished his hometown, fully embracing his Angeleno status. He took advantage of his star acumen to get to LA, gaming the draft system so he could get traded there no matter who drafted him. He was young, cocky, aloof. He had a snarl. He had the blue blood pedigree too -- he was a silver-spoon-in-mouth Mainliner, fluent in Italian son of a former NBAer. Contrast this with our adopted hero, Allen Iverson, the polar opposite of the former -- coming from the projects, not having any relationship with his father, having served jail time albeit unjustly due to institutional racism, and getting constantly condemned for the clothes he wore and the people he associated with. Yet AI was pound for pound the best player in the game. So -- AI vs Kobe? I'll take AI any day, thank you very much. Plus, Kobe had Shaq. AI had -- Mutombo?
Bottom line, Kobe was the Goliath. We never had a chance. And Kobe relished in this. He beat us handily in '01, made few gestures of love to his hometown during that time. Can you blame us for booing him at the All Star game the following year?
But here's the thing -- you can take the kid from philly but can't take philly from the kid. And this kid, pardon the shameless pun, became nothing short of one of the GOATs.
Kobe went on to keep on winning. He kept nailing big shot after big shot. Despite his fierce attitude, I couldn't help, deep down, feeling love for him. Feeling pride for him. He's from my hometown! He's one of us. We generate the best!
The night Lebron passed Kobe's point total I texted some friends, "who cares... Kobe sucks!" This was entirely tongue in cheek. Kobe was one of the greatest. He's legendary. But, as a hometown hero, having followed him since I was in middle school while he was entering the NBA, I looked up to him as one may look up to an older brother. There was a closeness. There was love.
I am so sad hearing about this tragic news. My heart goes out to all of his friends and family, and all of his fans. Because that love I felt for him, despite having never met him personally, I have to believe is felt by millions of others who followed his illustrious career throughout the past 20-25 years. May his memory, his daughter Gianna's, and the other seven souls who perished yesterday forever be a blessing.
I remember in 6th grade, sitting on the bleachers of my middle school gymnasium waiting for class to start and my gym teacher discussing with other students about Kobe taking Brandi to the prom. This memory is etched into my brain, before I was really that interested in pro basketball beyond what the Bulls were doing. Really, this was in 1996 when the Sixers were terrible and Allen Iverson was still a year away from getting drafted. But I knew about Kobe, despite Brandi being a much bigger celebrity at the time.
Fast forward to 2001, and Kobe was the villain. Our hometown hero had vanquished his hometown, fully embracing his Angeleno status. He took advantage of his star acumen to get to LA, gaming the draft system so he could get traded there no matter who drafted him. He was young, cocky, aloof. He had a snarl. He had the blue blood pedigree too -- he was a silver-spoon-in-mouth Mainliner, fluent in Italian son of a former NBAer. Contrast this with our adopted hero, Allen Iverson, the polar opposite of the former -- coming from the projects, not having any relationship with his father, having served jail time albeit unjustly due to institutional racism, and getting constantly condemned for the clothes he wore and the people he associated with. Yet AI was pound for pound the best player in the game. So -- AI vs Kobe? I'll take AI any day, thank you very much. Plus, Kobe had Shaq. AI had -- Mutombo?
Bottom line, Kobe was the Goliath. We never had a chance. And Kobe relished in this. He beat us handily in '01, made few gestures of love to his hometown during that time. Can you blame us for booing him at the All Star game the following year?
But here's the thing -- you can take the kid from philly but can't take philly from the kid. And this kid, pardon the shameless pun, became nothing short of one of the GOATs.
Kobe went on to keep on winning. He kept nailing big shot after big shot. Despite his fierce attitude, I couldn't help, deep down, feeling love for him. Feeling pride for him. He's from my hometown! He's one of us. We generate the best!
The night Lebron passed Kobe's point total I texted some friends, "who cares... Kobe sucks!" This was entirely tongue in cheek. Kobe was one of the greatest. He's legendary. But, as a hometown hero, having followed him since I was in middle school while he was entering the NBA, I looked up to him as one may look up to an older brother. There was a closeness. There was love.
I am so sad hearing about this tragic news. My heart goes out to all of his friends and family, and all of his fans. Because that love I felt for him, despite having never met him personally, I have to believe is felt by millions of others who followed his illustrious career throughout the past 20-25 years. May his memory, his daughter Gianna's, and the other seven souls who perished yesterday forever be a blessing.
What a beautiful tribute Ben.
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