Fading Away: the final tour of Laker legend Kobe Bryant

For basketball in the 2000s, there was no greater spectacle than Kobe Bean Bryant. With his shooting sleeve on his left arm and calf band on his right leg, fans gravitated to his every move whenever he stepped on the court.

On Nov. 29, Kobe presented a letter to the game of basketball that incited a gut-wrenching moment for the entire sports world. Published on the Players Tribune website, Kobe literally and eloquently wrote to the game of basketball about their relationship throughout the years and the impact the game had on his life.

“A love so deep I gave you my all — From my mind & body
 to my spirit & soul,” Bryant wrote.

Reading the letter, curiosity quickly transitioned into disbelief, as the accomplished athlete announced it was his last year playing the game he loved.

“I’m ready to let you go. I want you to know now
 so we both can savor every moment we have left together,” Bryant wrote.

Glorified by most, hated by many but respected by all, Kobe Bryant is officially stepping away from the game.

I for one find myself reminiscing on his dominance throughout the years — the ultimate champion, competitor and ambassador for the game.

Kobe is the Michael Jordan of my generation. The era of Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Shaquille O’Neal and Tracy McGrady is now behind us — Kobe was all that we had left.

Whether it’s loved ones or icons, the days are getting shorter and the people older. This sentiment hits only when someone of importance, such as my childhood idol Kobe Bryant, announce they have grown out of the spotlight and are ready to lend the torch to someone else.

Am I wrong for not wanting to let go the last sports icon of my childhood? After Kobe, there is no professional athlete I can deem my favorite. When Kobe was persecuted, so was I. When Kobe was winning, so was I. When Kobe limped to the free-throw line with a torn Achilles, I too grimaced from the pain of watching my slain idol stand tall despite suffering a gruesome injury.

The game of basketball will never be the same for me, but slowly, I’m accepting the fact there is beauty to it all. The time has come for new memories and new players to marvel over. None, however, will ever take the place of Kobe in my eyes.

The 17-time All-Star, five-time NBA Champion and Olympic gold medalist will go down as one of the best to ever play the game. In his prime, Kobe dominated all who had the audacity to go toe-to-toe against him. The bolstered impeccable numbers and single-game efforts young hoopers can only dream of accomplishing — numbers no 2K-created-player could even get close to accomplishing.

The 18-year-old Kobe Bryant came into the league young, immature and raw. But he never backed down from a challenge. On May 12, 1997, in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, rookie Kobe Bryant got his first chance at starting his legacy.

With the game on the line and the Lakers’ season in his hand, Kobe fired away four critical airballs in his attempt to close the game in the fourth quarter and win the game in overtime. Those airballs lost the Lakers the chance to advance in the playoffs, ultimately losing to Karl Malone and John Stockton’s Utah Jazz.

At Bryant’s young age, it was unprecedented for someone of his caliber to take those shots at that pivotal moment of the game, but the young star did not shy away, and that game was the catalyst for the relentless competitor we now know nearly two decades later.

Kobe teamed up with Shaq and the Lakers would go on to win three consecutive NBA Championships from 2000-02. Acknowledged as the best big man-little man duo to ever hit the hardwood, Shaq and Kobe were unbeatable — instead, their downfall came from within.

The 2003-04 season would forever change Laker culture and the way many saw Bryant. The accused rape case, in which Kobe told investigators he had consensual relations with his accuser, damaged Kobe’s image. His endorsements were lost and marriage was in shambles.

The beef between him and Shaq had also begun to tamper with the relationship with the dynamic duo both on and off the court. As Shaq left to the Miami Heat, Kobe’s reaction, only to post some of the most remarkable numbers the league has ever seen.

Amidst his trial, Kobe continued to play basketball, relinquishing a full-on attack on opposing defenders as his emotions were let out on the court and his first love, the game of basketball.

Kobe went on a streak of nine consecutive games of at least 40 points. His relentless abandon at the rim impressed all who couldn’t understand how someone whose world looked to be coming to an end could bottle up his anger and physically abuse the rim with dunk after dunk.

Two more championships would follow Kobe in 2009 and 2010. The ’10 season being his most memorable as his Lakers finally defeated the Big Three of Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in the finals after losing in 2008 to the Celtics in a horrid 39-point loss in Game 6.

Although Kobe will not reach Michael Jordan’s number of six championships, the comparisons between the two have been well documented throughout the years, as Kobe modeled most of his moves behind the greatest to ever play the game. Now the 37-year-old Kobe Bryant has to live with his accomplishments and acknowledge his struggling Lakers will not provide a final title run.

The past three injury-laden seasons will not be heralded as Kobe’s best, but his toughest and most adversity filled experiences of his life. The toll the game has put on his body has finally worn the fierce competitor down and the time has come for him to put his sweet fade-away jumper to rest.

What Kobe has done for the game since his rookie season in 1996, has been superior to any other player in the past decade. When Jordan retired, Kobe quickly picked up the baton and carried the NBA on his shoulders for 20 years.

His determination, will to win and overall moxie on the court will be treasured and honored by all who pick up a basketball in the future. For this, Kobe, I too owe you a letter, a letter to exemplify the impact you have had on my life. For you showed a 6-year old boy what it was like to win a championship.

You showed me the passion and work ethic it takes to achieve anything I want going forward. You’ve placed a mental arena in my mind, that whenever I pick up a basketball and begin my crossover dribble the same way you have done over the years that I too have the ability to get past the imaginary defender in my way.

As I begin my shooting motion, eyes set at the back of the rim, arms raised with my elbows shoulder-length apart, the mental countdown in my head begins to go off. I see myself in the Staples Center, thousands of fans fixated on my every move in exasperation for the result of my shot attempt.

With time winding down — 3 … 2 … 1 … — my shot is released and as I wait on the outcome of the twirling basketball in direction to the rim, your name, “Kobe” is uttered from my lips.

Sports Editor, Bryant Drayton

Bryant is a sports advocate who’s always smiling. He is a senior print and online journalism major aspiring for a career as a professional or college football columnist. Bryant currently covers high school football games for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. // Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

draytonbo@commonwealthtimes.org