Goodbye Kobe Bryant

My heart sank a little at the announcement no NBA fan wanted to become a reality. It was inevitable, but I – like so many others – was not prepared for Kobe Bryant’s retirement.

Kobe’s goodbye letter to basketball certainly tugged at the heartstrings, with the NBA legend writing, “My heart can take the pounding, my mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.”

The world will always debate the ‘best player of all time’. Comparing Kobe to say Michael Jordan is comparing oranges to apples: different era, different intensity.

All legends are legendary in their own right, for their own achievements; this article isn’t reasons for Kobe’s greatness, I just wanted to express that I’ll be a little sad that at the end of the NBA season, we won’t see Kobe Bryant on a basketball court again.

I don’t remember Jordan retiring, but I imagine basketball fans who do remember have the same feelings now as they did then.

I’m sure Kobe’s fans know the stats – five championships, two-time finals MVP, and countless shooting records – but for me, there are two standout moments that cemented his legacy.

Lakers versus Dallas 2006, Kobe drops 62 points, furious that his team had only scored 74 points the night before. Kobe declared he could have scored 74 points himself. While he didn’t quite get there, he did not play at all in the fourth quarter – you can’t help wonder if he would have made the 74 in a full game.

Lakers versus Raptors 2006, Kobe scored a massive 81 points. He only scored 26 points in the first half, then scored 27 points in the third quarter and 28 points in the fourth.

This was the perfect game.

Kobe will forever miss basketball, but basketball will forever miss Mr Kobe Bryant too.