Dear Kobe,
You really did a trick on us pal. I know everyone and their mother is talking about this, but I need to express how I personally feel about this.
I wanna start at the top. My primary sport is soccer — being italian and all — but I love sports in general, and so I’ve always taken a more or less active approach in overviewing the whole sports world. Plus, you’re one of those GOATS that everybody knows of. Me, personally, I love sports because of what they give you. I grew up playing sports. More than that, I grew up watching sports. And you know what I love about sports? The people who play them.
Sports taught me everything I know, sports made me the man I am today.
From a few, very selected people whom I grew up watching, I learned to live life the way I do. You know what the common denominator amongst all of you people is? You work your ass of. Work is at the top. If you don’t work for it, you ain’t gonna get it. I have crunched every bit of content that involved you talking about work ethic, motivation, the pursue of greatness in general. Ever since I was a kid I have felt tormented by life, in the sense that I could never be satisfied with anything. Literally anything. I found myself always wanting more and more, never being able to be good with what I had achieved. I honestly thought something was wrong with me. And then I saw you. I saw MJ, I saw Tiger, I saw Cristiano Ronaldo and Lebron. Salvation. Then there is someone like me, I’m not the only one. Do you have any idea what it means to a kid to see that not only someone felt like him, but that those who did also went on to be great at whatever they did? It means that you’re not alone, that someone will eventually understand you.
It means that that drive will eventually lead to somewhere that makes sense.
For that, I thank you. And I will thank you for the rest of my life. Your book, Mamba Mentality, has probably been my fastest read ever. I’ve literally gone cover to cover a thousand times by now, and it gave me comfort when nobody else could. I am forever in doubt with you, because you contributed to me finding my purpose in life, you thought me so much, even without knowing you were doing so. The sad part is, I’m still a no one, I still have such a long way to go. And now, I feel like I’ve lost one of the great masters I had in life. And that terrifies me.
You know, unfortunately we hear a lot of news of celebrities who leave us. I have to be honest tough, it doesn’t usually leave a scar that big. I mean you feel sad for a bit, but then you go on to do whatever it was you were doing, and you don’t spend that much time thinking about it. After all, you didn’t really know the guy. I mean you didn’t have that kind of connection right? With you it’s different. Ever since I got the news, I’ve felt a weight in my stomach that I can’t quite describe. It has been painful, for real. Not only have I lost a guiding star myself, but the whole world has lost someone who still had so much to give, so much to teach. It’s been mixed emotions ever since.
To you I have to say thank you, for everything. For giving me nighttime binge-watching material with your plays. With your all time greats. For giving me inspiration to take whatever you want to do in life and give it 110% of what you have. For believing the no dream is big enough to not be chased. No goal is too far that you can’t reach. Thank you for teaching me that no matter what you want to do, no matter where you want to get, no matter what your goal is, you need to work.
Work for it, and you’ll get it.
Thank you for being the living proof that you never give up. Because no matter how hard it gets, no matter how painful it is, in the end you’ll get what you’ve worked for. Always. And there is no better gift than that. You will always be remembered, always be cherished. Your plays will live in the heart of everyone forever, and your teachings held as a precious treasure. Thank you Mamba, you will be missed. Truly.
Giuseppe Vinchesi
