Kobe Bryant, it’s time to say Goodbye
It is under the shape of a poem, published on the site « The Player’s Tribune» that Kobe Bryant addressed to his “Dear Basketball” for declared his love and to tell to his sport a better goodbye..
The suspense is over. Kobe Bryant finally confirmed that his twentieth season under the shirt of Lakers (record of loyalty in NBA) will be his last one. An expected decision, but what is safe, it is that the 37-year-old player will leave a major track in NBA.
«Dear Basketball,
From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:
I fell in love with you.
A love so deep I gave you my all —
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.
As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.
And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.
I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.
You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.
And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.
And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner :
05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1
Love you always,
Kobe.»
Drafted in 1996 by The Charlotte Hornets, «Kobe» did not waste time to know what he wished. He wanted to go to Los Angeles, and he succeeded. After his arrival in the city of the angels, the young player will evolve very quickly and will become one of the best player of the NBA and will form, with his team-mate Shaquille O’ Neal, «The Big Aristotle « : the best duet of the league. This magic duet will win the title of champion with Los Angeles (on 2000, 2001, 2002). The next years will be more quiet collectively speaking. But personally speaking, Bryant will not stop to shining and will be elected MVP in 2008. The arrival of Pau Gasol to The Lakers is going to push the franchise at the top of the league and two other titles of champion (on 2009 and 2010) will come to complete the prize list of the third best scorer in the history of the NBA.
37-year-old now, the mythical number 24 of the Lakers has lost his best level. For proof his statistics (16.8 points, 4 rebounds and 3,3 assist) which had never been so low for a long time. After several injuries, the body of «Kobe» doesn’t follow any more and he cants continue to help his team as before. Since some seasons, the franchise is one of the worst team. The announcement of the end of the Kobe Bryant’s era is going to offer a lap of honor to the player but is going to help to forget, the time of the farewells, the fall of The Lakers…