For A Legend

Many of you know this as a football site. This is where you all come to get your daily scoop on everything football from the NFL to the game of NCAA Football. However, I love sports. Tonight, I want to take a moment to honor an iconic athlete. Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant. A few years ago back in 2016, I did this for the greatest boxer ever to live, Mr. Muhammad Ali when he passed away. I felt it was only appropriate. That moment then had motivated me now to write this for you. Today, we received the tragic news that the NBA legend was killed in a helicopter crash. His 13-year-old daughter Gianna aka “Gigi” was also on board as well. She also tragically passed away.

I’ll be the first to admit that when I was growing up, I was never the biggest fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. Anytime they lost, I was always the first to run my mouth. But the one thing I think many of us can say is we always respected the competitor that he was. I know I did. No matter the result of any game, I always said that he was a great player at the end of the day. Being born in 1990, I was young and didn’t see much of Michael Jordan during his prime. I caught Mike during the second three-peat. I saw Kobe his entire career. I can’t speak about the Lakers without mentioning him. Believe me, a lot of greats have played for that iconic franchise. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain. Even the logo of the NBA played there! Mr. Jerry West. Kobe is the greatest Laker I’ve ever seen. I say that because I never saw all the other legends. My entire era was blessed to see greatness. He’s the second greatest player I’ve witnessed behind Michael. This may be a cliché saying at this point, but he was the closest thing to MJ. As I’ve put it, Mike passed the keys to Kobe. Kobe drove the car throughout his entire career. Then, Kobe passed those keys to LeBron James. He’s still operating the vehicle as we speak.

I watched Kobe win all five of his championships. Each time I saw him play, I always noticed a guy that left everything on the court. His determination to be great was what always stood out to me along with his work ethic. He was determined to be great. I saw a man that was always willing to put in the work to become legendary. Kobe did just that. Much of my basketball upbringing came with my dad who was a huge Kobe Bryant fan. I’m forever grateful for those moments with him watching those games. I’m forever grateful for seeing him score 81, 62 in three quarters, a stretch of games where he scored 30 or more. Every accolade he received, he rightfully deserved. I’m hurting with my generation right now. My prayers and condolences are with his fans, the Bryant family, the World of Sports and the NBA community.