I find it hard to talk about basketball now, I am still fucked up about the whole thing. I will just drop a few lines about Kobe and what I personally remember.
I absolutely despised Michael Jordan when he was playing. He was for me an eternal enemy, guy that has everything going for him, a guy that you need to cheer against whenever he plays. I never wanted those Bulls teams to win. I did have a hell of a lot respect for him as a player, but something always rubbed me the wrong way. So, in the late nineties when I made it to the US as a high school exchange student, this kid out of Philly came out, started talking shit and saying he will be the greatest. Oh, he was so young, cocky and stupid. And he tried to mimic and copy everything Michael Jordan did, yet somehow I liked him. I can't explain it, the same shit I disliked about Mike, was what drew me to Kobe. The energy, the focus, the determination, the killer instinct and will to dominate and humiliate opponents.
Early 2000s were hard on me, seeing the Lakers win 3 rings in a row with him and Shaq, because I beleived that in a more fair word, without corrupt refereeing, the Kings teams from that era should've gotten at least a ring or two there. Yet, I was happy for Kobe. Summer of 2002, I was a senior in college and managed to save up some money for the season ticket for the Nuggets (I was living in Denver). The Nuggets sucked and won 20 something games, led by Juwan Howard, James Posey, Nene Hilario, Shammond Williams and the bunch. Truly a horror team to watch. To be honest I got the tickets for the experience more and to watch visiting teams that had my favorite players.
The first time I saw Kobe live was a few days after Christmas in 2002. I was flying home for the holidays on the 29th, the game was the day before. Lakers came in and Kobe dropped like 39 on 60% from the field and Shaq added 20 something. The Lakers had a total shit start to the season and were just getting warmed up. The Nuggets lost by 20 and I was in awe of Kobe who just controlled the game from the start to the end. I got a Lakers hat signed by Kobe after the game for my dad. The same season, in February of 2003, the Lakers and Nuggets played each other on back to back nights. The first one was played in LA, where Lakers destroyed the Nuggets by 30 or so, and Kobe dropped 42 again shooting 60% from the field. I was pissed, I was sure that the Lakers will come into Denver and just slack off and take it easy. Little did I know that Kobe is not made of that shit. He dropped on the second night in Denver 51pts, in 30 minutes or so, in a game where I think only Shaq was in double digits from the Lakers and the Lakers won by 10 or so. This is what this kid was. Tough, real grinder. Yes, a huge ego, selfish, not the best teammate and all that, but just pure heart and love for the game.
I watched Kobe play live another 5-6 times after that, and he was always the easiest guy to spot on the court. Constant yapping, always calling out opponents, telling teammates what to do, intense stares from the bench and getting people in line. He was a 60-year old grumpy dude in a body of a supreme athlete. The fact that he is gone, along with his daughter and 7 other people is just shit news. Life is very unfair and it is tough to see ironies like this. He bought the fucking helicopter to avoid LA traffic and get to the Staples Center and back quickly, so he can maximize the time he has with his family. Same applied when he retired, when he wanted to coach his daughter and give back to basketball. The same chopper that got him killed. True loss, especially seeing him how he adjusted to life after basketball, how happy he was and how he killed that Grinch that was inside him during his playing years.
