My letter to Kobe Bryant — why you have gone from loathed to loved!

I grew up watching Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson and Larry Bird, then Michael Jordan and his Bulls dominate basketball. When you arrived on the scene in the mid-late 1990s I wasn’t convinced. In fact, it didn’t take long for me to realise I didn’t like this young MJ wannabe! I got the impression it was all about you, and how much you wanted the world to notice you!

As I write this, you are 10 mins away from starting your last game for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA, and I felt compelled to write this to tell you about the drastic transformation I have witnessed over the last 7 years or so. I am feeling rather sad (and a sense of impending loss) about your retirement, like I am saying goodbye to an old friend, but also a strange sense of contentment that you are going out your way and at peace with your world — ready for the next challenge in life.

I recently watched a clip from the NBA starring you in a very retrospective mood. I’m paraphrasing ever so slightly, but you said this…“the goal of being the greatest of all time is a fickle one…and that what matters more is how your career moves and touches those around you…and how it carries forward to the next generation….that’s what makes true greatness.

Well Kobe, by this definition (and it is one I wholeheartedly agree with) you are truly great, a legend of the game that will never be forgotten. You have also become someone that I will point my children towards as an example of how to play your sport and live your life. You are not perfect (and you are not universally loved), but you have become comfortable in your own skin, willing to let us, as fans, see the real you…to wear your values on your sleeve — those of passion, an unrelenting desire to win, humility and most importantly, authenticity!

You also mentioned in the clip that you have “transformed from a kid (and let’s be honest, you were straight out of high school into the red hot, public arena of 1990s NBA basketball) looking inwardly…to a man who understands the importance and power of looking outwardly”. I think this sums it up so perfectly — like your fade-away jump shot, or your relentless drives to the rim — you are now so much more aware of your impact, your responsibilities and your fragility. That makes you a lovable flawed genius — someone who has inspired me and whose transformation should be a lesson to any aspiring or elite athlete (in fact to any human being) wanting to take that leap to the next level.

You have secured your legacy as one of the greatest basketballers of all time, an amazing athlete, who strives to inspire, motivate and empower those around you! I, for one, wish you the best of luck, and I hope we have not seen the last of you, even if it is the last time we see you on court (as a player)!

Thank you for sharing the last 20 years with me, and the rest of the sporting world, just know you have made an awesome contribution!