As a lifelong fan of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers, I’ve grown accustomed to having my heart broken by Kobe Bryant.
There are many memories that come to mind; perhaps the most painful is Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals, when Bryant helped the Lakers win by undoing Portland’s 15-point lead in the fourth quarter.
The man known as the “Black Mamba” scored at least 40 points against the Blazers five times throughout his career, including a 65-point performance in 2007. He scored at least 30 points 14 times.
Bryant was almost always at the top of his game whenever I saw him play. The last time I got to see him live was in 2011, when the Lakers defeated the Phoenix Suns in a three-overtime game. Bryant’s 20-year NBA career was winding down at that point, but he still displayed the characteristics that made him special — his tireless work ethic, his remarkable knowledge of the game and his ability to knock down the trickiest of shots.
Bryant was always a tremendous basketball player. In his prime he was a walking cheat code. His list of achievements is remarkable: an 18-time NBA All Star, five-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP, among many other honors.
But what Kobe Bryant did for the game of basketball, and for the world of athletics as a whole, is surreal. Generations of kids, including myself, grew up watching Kobe dominate defenses night after night. He inspired many of us to lace up our shoes and hit the basketball court for the first time.
He was blessed with enough talent to jump straight from high school to the NBA. But Bryant was never content with what he could do. He was always willing to outwork anyone.
“I want people to think of me as a talented overachiever,” Bryant once said. “I was blessed with talent, but I worked as if I had none. If I could be remembered that way, it would be pretty good.”
His efforts paid off. He was frequently a step ahead of the competition. It was painful to cheer against him back in the day, because I knew there wasn’t a lot that could be done to stop the Black Mamba.
But for all the heartbreak Bryant caused over the years with his big-game performances and countless buzzer-beaters, nothing hurt worse than the news I received yesterday.
Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday in California. At 41, Bryant’s days as a basketball player were behind him. But as so may noted on Twitter and Facebook, the ‘second act’ of his life was set to be just as rewarding. Bryant left behind his wife, Vanessa, and three daughters — Natalia, Bianka and Capri. Gianna was a talented young basketball player, and Kobe considered her to be the potential heir to his legacy.
Kobe, Gianna and seven others — John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah and Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and helicopter pilot Ara Zobayan — are no longer with us. That is devastating to think about. Each one of those individuals had families, friends and legacies that they left behind.
Kobe’s legacy in particular was one of success, both on and off of the basketball court. He knew what it took to be a successful basketball player, and he was always striving to be a good father. One of the main reasons he started travelling by helicopter was so he could avoid California traffic and have more time to spend with his family.
This sucks. It really does. Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, was not a good day.
All we’re left with is memories. Some of those memories aren’t pleasant for non-Lakers fans like me.
But I know one thing: It was a blessing to watch Kobe evolve from an unproven young hooper to a father of four with several accolades to his name.
Rest in peace, Kobe.
