Kobe Bean Bryant - Farewell

[Staniam]

I'm not sure how many basketball fans, or sports fans in general are on this forum but... Anyone who has loved something or aspired to be the absolute best at anything, given all of their self to something or dreamed of any accomplishment need look no further for inspiration than Kobe Bryant.

I've been a Lakers fan since birth and grew up watching Kobe Bryant. My father took me took a Lakers game in his rookie year 20  years ago when I was 6. I barely remember it but since then I've been a huge fan of Kobe for a multitude of reasons. As I've gotten older and became an adult I've grown to respect him for the type of person he is. I don't know him personally but among other things, his dedication to his craft has been both inspiring and reflective of his personality as a player and and human being.

For those of us who love our craft and what we do in our lives, we can draw much inspiration from Kobe.

Farewell Kobe Bean Bryant, The Black Mamba. Thank you for your dedication, greatness and inspiration. Please don't go too far from the game.

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[Wooden Skye]

Like you, I have always been a Lakers fan.  Don't follow basketball much anymore.  Magic was my favorite, but Kobe is a great player and one of the very few basketball players I would watch.

The pregame ceremony was good, but Flea did the absolute worst rendition of the national anthem ever.  I repeat ever!

 

[Staniam]

Like you, I have always been a Lakers fan.  Don't follow basketball much anymore.  Magic was my favorite, but Kobe is a great player and one of the very few basketball players I would watch.

The pregame ceremony was good, but Flea did the absolute worst rendition of the national anthem ever.  I repeat ever!

My Dad got to watch Magic, he tells me a lot of stories about those times. He says those Lakers teams along with the Celtics and Bulls would destroy the Warriors of today.

As far as Flea.... Yeah that was horrendous! Totally anticlimactic for today haha.

 

[peter halle]

Been a Laker fan since Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and Wilt.  Watching the game tonight - the first and only game I'll have watched all year.

Peter

 

[Staniam]

Been a Laker fan since Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, and Wilt.  Watching the game tonight - the first and only game I'll have watched all year.

Peter

It definitely hasn't been a pretty season to watch but it's been entertaining. Whether that's good or bad is up for debate.

 

[bkharman]

Farewell indeed!!

;^)

Growing up out of country and then mainly living on the east coast... I never liked him. Respected him?  Most definitely. Very few players in the start of his era could go straight into the NBA like that. The other big one came back to the great state of Ohio but we will see how long that lasts! 

On a very related note... The neighborhood we are building our house in will make us neighbors with Oscar Robertson. If you are an old schooler, you will know him.

Good luck in your next adventure Black Mamba!!

Cheers. Bryan.

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[Staniam]

On a very related note... The neighborhood we are building our house in will make us neighbors with Oscar Robertson. If you are an old schooler, you will know him.

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If you don't know The Big O then you don't know basketball! That's so crazy though. Neighbor to Oscar Robertson. He's in my top 10 for all time greats. No one will ever average a triple double again. Even in today's age where players seem to go for those.

 

[#Tee]

hell yes! i didnt know theres festool kobe/laker fans! im soooo sad and happy at the same time! love the way he went out tonight [big grin] [scared] [scared]

 

[Staniam]

heck yes! i didnt know theres festool kobe/laker fans! im soooo sad and happy at the same time! love the way he went out tonight [big grin] [scared] [scared]

60 POINTS KOBE ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! And he brought the Lakers back for the win.

 

[ear3]

Knicks fan here and life long Kobe hater.  When Reggie Miller retired, I had a twinge of nostalgia and respect for the man who plunged so many devastating daggers into the heart of the Knicks during the 90s in the playoffs.  But for Kobe?  Not so much.  Fitting that he ball hogged his way into retirement with a sub 45% FG percentage (22/50). 

 

[jimbo51]

I am bummed that the basketball season is coming to an end. I got used to taking a radio down to my basement workshop whenever the dust got a bit thick. I would turn on a Sixers game and come back a couple of hours later to a dust free shop.

Translation.Philadelphia 76ers basketball team had a very poor season. In slang terms, they sucked. They sucked so much that just having a game on the radio would pull all the dust to the radio. Yeah, poor joke.

 

[Staniam]

Knicks fan here and life long Kobe hater.  When Reggie Miller retired, I had a twinge of nostalgia and respect for the man who plunged so many devastating daggers into the heart of the Knicks during the 90s in the playoffs.  But for Kobe?  Not so much.  Fitting that he ball hogged his way into retirement with a sub 45% FG percentage (22/50).

Well, you're right, it was a fitting way to end Kobe's career. Sure he shot 44% but let's face it, that isn't exactly bad. Infact, most perimeter players would love to average that % for their careers. But, it was also fitting get that Kobe scored 23 in the 4th including 15 straight to bring the Lakers backnowledge and win the game.

It's also fitting that Kobe gave everything he had and left it all on the court. As he's done his entire career.

 

[#Tee]

lol ball hog? did you know that the game plan was to GET KOBE THE BALL?? record breaking ratings for a regular season game. a crap load of viewers are tuned in just to watch him do his thing.(he broke twitter) its fitting for the "hes a ball hog" that his  last play was an ASSIST to clarkson..ohh the irony.

 

[Staniam]

Only player with 25,000+ points and 6,000+ assists. Some players are rebounders, some are passers, some are defenders and some are scorers. Most every player is considered one thing before all others. Kobe is a scorer. But he's also one of the best passers. Averaging at least 5 assists a game 13 times at the Scoring/Shooting Guard position. He's also one of the greatest defenders of all time, 12 All NBA Defensive team selections including 9 First Team and 3 Secondary Team.

 

[WastedP]

When you list Kobe's all-time stats, don't forget the stat that was sealed by the court: the amount of the settlement he paid out for the sexual assault civil suit.

I thought it was really interesting that Phil Jackson wrote about his own daughter's sexual assault in his last book, but kept his opinions to himself about the Kobe case.

Maybe I'm just bitter on Kobe because the only time I ever got to see Stockton and Malone play in person, Kobe scored like 45 points and Shaq didn't even suit up because his pinky toe hurt.

 

[Staniam]

When you list Kobe's all-time stats, don't forget the stat that was sealed by the court: the amount of the settlement he paid out for the sexual assault civil suit.

I thought it was really interesting that Phil Jackson wrote about his own daughter's sexual assault in his last book, but kept his opinions to himself about the Kobe case.

Maybe I'm just bitter on Kobe because the only time I ever got to see Stockton and Malone play in person, Kobe scored like 45 points and Shaq didn't even suit up because his pinky toe hurt.

Good bring up on the sexual assault and Phil Jackson. I thought that was interesting too. Obviously don't know the true, full story behind Kobe's thing. I believe he was found innocent but at the same time that doesn't tell the whole story. Peculiar Phil didn't mention it when talking about his daughter.

A lot of people hate Kobe or had dislike/disdain for him but basically what I meant by my original post is that regardless of what you might think of him, the way he went about succeeding in his craft is remarkable. And when his piers and adversaries have such a high amount of respect for him it kinda shows how he inspired in his career.