Kobe Bryant, The Legend

I was devastated and shocked to hear the passing of NBA legend, Kobe Bryant.  I feel like there's a hole in my chest.  I feel like the world is no longer whole.  And to hear that his daughter was with him and perished along with him just breaks my heart further.  I can only imagine what he must have been thinking in his final moments; probably about his daughter, Gianna.  Kobe Bryant was not only a great basketball player, but to me he was my favorite basketball player of all time.

I got into sports in the late 90s/early 2000s.  Around that time, I hadn't fully attached to the Seattle teams yet.  I became a fan of the dynasties of that time.  In the NFL, I cheered for the Denver Broncos.  In MLB, I cheered for the Yankees.  And in the NBA, I cheered for the Lakers.  Of those three teams, I grew most attached to the Lakers, because the Sonics were going through a rebuilding phase, and because the Lakers back then were so good and fun to watch.

I grew attached to one player in particular, one Kobe Bryant.  He was the Lakers leading scorer every year and their most exciting player.  His ability to sink fadeaway jumpers was unparalleled.  Even as I started growing attached to the Sonics, he was still my favorite player even though he was a rival of my favorite team.  Watching him match up with Ray Allen when the Lakers and Sonics played was always a joy to watch.

Kobe's in every NBA video game I've ever owned, from NBA Hangtime as a youngster to NBA Live '09.  To me, he is synonymous with NBA star; nobody could rival him in career accomplishments.  He was the leader on the most well-known basketball team in the world in one of the biggest cities in the world.  Hard to top that.

I didn't follow his later career too much, because after the Sonics left for Oklahoma City, I lost interest in basketball.  I still cheered him on, and I'm glad he was able to get one more ring, post-Shaq.  His 81-point game was incredible, something I never thought would happen in my lifetime.  That game only further cemented his legacy as one of the greatest to ever do it.  To me, he will be the greatest, because he ascended during the rise and peak of the NBA.  I didn't see much of Michael Jordan's career, and I've stopped watching NBA basketball during most of Lebron's career.  But Kobe was there for all of it, and I don't think there will be anybody greater in my eyes.

I hate that this happened.  He was gone way too soon.  He was very invested in things after his playing days, and I can only imagine what great things he would've gone on to do.  And his daughter, who may have had a career in basketball herself, had her life cut way too short.  It breaks my heart.

The only thing we can do is grieve and move on.  I have a special place in my heart for the Lakers organization, and now because of Kobe's passing, I always will.  There will never be another Kobe, no one to match him in stats and accomplishments.  His playing days were done, but he will still be sorely missed from this world.  RIP Kobe.