The Bean
June 26, 1996.
The date of the 50th NBA Draft, held in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On this day, some of the most influential players in the history of basketball were selected to play in the Association.
Allen Iverson, who showcased a different level of heart and confidence that shaped a generation. The first player to fully embrace the hip-hop lifestyle and bring it to the NBA floors. Ray Allen, one of the greatest shooters to step on the court, along with being one of the most professional stars of his generation.
Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, and many others who helped form a generation of basketball.
One player, in particular, made the class head above most.
Kobe “Bean” Bryant. A skinny kid from Philly stepping into the league straight out of high school. The Hornets secured the high school phenom, but NBA legend and Lakers’ legend, Jerry West made a power move. He traded for Kobe Bryant on that very night, believing the 19-year old kid would blaze the NBA and transform into one of the greatest players in the history of the Association.
Fans didn’t share the same vision as the West. Many didn’t see the potential, but no one knew or could predict what would happen over the next two decades.
But Kobe knew.
He knew he would become one of the greatest Lakers ever, fulfilling a childhood dream. He knew the championships would pile up, playing alongside the Deisel. He also knew he didn’t need the diesel, deciding to go solo without one of the most dominant players in NBA history. He saw it all and allowed us to witness it.
When I first learned of Kobe’s death, I chose not to believe the news. TMZ reported the tragedy first but that wasn’t credible enough. After seeing the headlines, I put my phone away. I didn’t want to look into it, I didn’t want to research it. I waited for the information to find me. Unfortunately, as the sports guy within my circle, my community look towards me to confirm this was a case fake news.
It wasn’t this time. It was real. And it felt worse once the legitimate sources confirmed what I hoped to be an internet hoax.
Kobe Bryant’s death impacts an entire generation. My generation. We grew up with Kobe. From the two airballs in Utah during the Western Conference playoffs to the final 60-points game against the Jazz twenty years later. We lived with those moments as fans and it made us family.
I’ve never met Kobe, but it didn’t matter, I was able to witness some of his grandest moments. I watched him give his life to the sport of basketball in so many ways, even when his body went against his drive to compete. What makes sports so beautiful, so passionate, is the real people who display these captivating talents. They grab us in a way like nothing else and provides a feeling as if we knew them our whole life.
It took me a while to find the motivation to write this piece. I didn’t want to write something about Kobe’s career and his stats. I wanted something deeper than that because this is deeper than basketball. And I don’t know if this is that either. I told myself, I would write about The Bean and what his legacy and death mean to me. And even as I write this, I still don’t believe words can do justice.
What positive do I take from this heartbreak? The first is to cherish your children. When the news became clear that Gianna Bryant, Kobe’s 13-year old daughter, was alongside him in the helicopter crash, I stared at my own four-year-old son. I began to visualize what that last moment probably felt like for Kobe, trying to protect and console his daughter from the inevitable, while dealing with his own fear. Like most great players and people of celebrity, they allow us to grow with their own families. We watched Gianna grow into a basketball player. We watched Kobe turn from a relentless killer on the court to a dad teaching his daughter the game of basketball.
I can go on for days about how Kobe’s career, life, and death impacts me and others around the world, but I won’t. I don’t know if this article is the proper way to breakdown a player’s career, but I don’t care. I didn’t want to write another obituary, I didn’t want to write about it at all, but this is a part of the job. I’m blessed enough to not only had the chance to witness it at all but also put words together to commemorate The Bean, The Mamba, Kobe Bryant.
