A Letter Penned Far, Far Too Soon: My Message to Kobe Bryant, My Hero
At a loss for words frozen in the most blizzardous nightmare,
I swear, every ounce of my body is still in full shock and despair,
No one could ever compare nor prepare,
Quite like you. No…No, No! You were far too rare.
Please, man, please!! Let me wake up and see your beautiful infectious smile again,
Before I start crying again,
As often as I’ve been,
Your intellect, curiosity, zealousness, and perseverance made you superman,
It really did, at least in my eyes,
You advertised and emphasized the need to work diligently and have your natural talent maximized,
That’s what I truly idolized.
Everyone wanted to “Be like Mike”, right?
But you were the only one willing to earnestly try,
YOU altered my life and transformed my entire perspective,
Your objective was to create a mind able to be truly honest and introspective,
With the goal of self-betterment.
Jackie Robinson once said that a life should be judged by the following measurement:
“A life means nothing except in the ways it has an impact on others’ lives”
That quote absolutely embodies your legacy perfectly,
Because you’ve done so so successfully with your nuanced wisdom and complexity.
I attempted to emulate and epitomize the model you represented,
Your confidence, which was so unprecedented.
People call it cockiness and arrogance,
But I was hesitant, as I saw the evidence in your performance and preparedness.
Now, all I’m left with is emotionally shattering news,
The highs and lows, through it all, you always fought your way through,
But frankly, at this moment, I honestly don’t know how to,
So now, in these moments of grief and heartache, there’s no one better to turn to,
Than you.
You eliminated “Mediocrity” and “Average” from your vocabulary,
You redefined the meaning of “effort” and became revolutionary,
Driven by this relentless pursuit to perfection,
All I saw was brilliance in motion, so detail-oriented.
The best player on the court worked like the last man in the rotation,
And that became the foundation,
Of outworking everyone who took a vacation.
That attitude expanded further than just simply basketball,
You dared to run while everybody was trying to crawl,
Your mind was on another level,
It’s why I hold you on the highest of pedestals.
It transferred to fatherhood, capitalistic ventures, investments, filmmaking, coaching, and more!
I truly wish I could have witnessed your second act because I had never seen you more upbeat than before.
But now pictures, highlights, and old interviews are all we get?
C’mon KB, please, please! Not just yet! Your sun is never supposed to set.
I need you, the real you, but I know I’m just fooling myself,
I’m sorry, I’m sorry, my emotions just have me so overwhelmed.
Aesthetically mesmerizing and an indisputably transcendent talent,
But see Kobe, you defeated the ultimate challenge,
Because your impact significantly stretched beyond the court,
It’s particularly ironic that even though you’re gone, you’ve found a way to become my biggest uplifter and support,
Because when I don’t know what to do or where to turn, I can look to you as my last resort.
Forget the game of basketball though, you sir won at the game of life.
I know you’re at peace now, just please keep illuminating your inspiring, comforting, and warm light from the Heavens above for the rest of my life.
#MambaMentalityForever
