After reading Kobe's "Dear Basketball" poem, I came to realize that if you truly love something, it will love you back in a way that transcends human imagination.
Kobe Bryant stayed loyal to the game that he loves the most and it gave him the best ride of his life. From making a dent in the history books as one of the youngest ever to get drafted in the NBA to the rings that he bagged with the Los Angeles Lakers, he will definitely be one of the best to ever to play the game, a legend, a hall of famer, what have you.
Once he hangs it up next year, the incredible ride that he shared to all of us will surely be something special beyond belief today, tomorrow and forever.
Without further ado, here's the poem that I'm talking about. Many thanks to The Players Tribune for sharing this.
Dear Basketball,
From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:
I fell in love with you.
A love so deep I gave you my all —
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.
As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.
And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.
I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.
You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.
And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.
And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner
:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1
Love you always,
Kobe
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