RIP GG and Kobe.

Song: Quiet Storm by Mobb Deep

First, I am not here to grandstand on this significant date following the late Kobe Bryant’s birthday and tell you I am an expert on Kobe. I’m not his biggest fan, and to be honest I never was a huge Kobe guy. Growing up, I was a Dwyane Wade fan and believed for a long time he was the second-best shooting guard of all time, not the Bean. But it didn’t take me losing my hair to feel more connected to Kobe; it was the fact I realized after he died, he was playing in the first NBA game I ever watched. 

It was game 6, and the Celtics were blowing out the Lakers; I remember this in particular because it was around the time we had just moved into this new house; I was almost 7. It is honestly one of the few memories I have of my childhood, I was playing basketball on a mini hoop, and I remember Ray Allen just burying threes. The one other memory I have of that game is watching Kobe Bryant, who I thought for the longest time was actually Jodie Meeks until I looked up now that Jodie wasn’t on the team. 

He was shooting a free throw. I remember watching the ball go through the net and marveling at how it dropped right through the middle like he could do it in his sleep a million times over. 

Again, I wasn’t much of a fan; I accredited his free-throw shooting to Jodie Meeks and moved on without much thought. I got my own pair of Kobe’s and wore them for a few years in my Upward basketball league. I got them mostly because they were camo, being a redneck and all, but more than anything, they were smooth and comfortable. Those were not two words you would have used to describe my game back then. Although I was one of the first kids in my league to learn how to dribble with my off-hand, I was no Mohammed Dabone. I wish I still had them; they were my favorite basketball shoes ever mostly and lasted so long due to the fact they were low tops, and I didn’t have ankle problems yet. As I moved on in my basketball career and fandom, obviously, it was hard to ignore Kobe. I was lucky enough to watch him live on television on several occasions, random late nights, Christmas days, and a few more NBA Final’s appearances. The first thing I began to appreciate was Kobe’s footwork. It was meticulous and calculated, purposeful yet graceful and natural. As my intrigue about improving my own game grew in high school and beyond, Kobe’s ‘mamba mentality’ mantra started to ring truer and truer. Not to say that I even scraped the work Kobe put in, but it helped to see the players I was watching adapt and adopt his game as well. 

“If you’re afraid to fail, then you’re probably going to fail.”

-Kobe Bryant

For one summer, however, I tried my best to adopt this mentality. I was out of shape and overweight following Covid. I weighed about 220 pounds, which, at 5’10″ at best on a good day, isn’t the best look to going into your freshman year of college. One of my good friends, who, per his desire, I will call T, was also overweight. It became apparent that we either turned things around or would be unsatisfied with the outcome of our lives going forward. On top of working outside as a kid’s camp counselor, T and I embraced the grind and were in the gym 5 days a week. Lifting and running (or walking for the big fella) twice a week in several hour-long sessions of drills, shooting, or pick-up games. The other days were spent in pick-up, simply playing the game we love, pushing ourselves every day to get the results we wanted. I may have become a slightly better basketball player in those three months, I was not bad to start, but I do not have the athletic ability to support any sort of jump that warrants recognition. What T and I did accomplish was a cumulative loss of over 200 pounds. Most of which came through the game of basketball. We aimed for realistic goals and improved by 1% every day. Kobe Bryant, to me, was always one of these symbols of hope for rewards for hard work and execution. People in my life and figures like Kobe Bryant also brought needed elements of harsh love and reality that need to exist in the world. Without people advocating for accountability in society, we are all screwed. Without dedication and accountability to our work for that whole summer, I’m unsure if I would be here today. Although, I may have grabbed a few post moves from Kobe (a tough fade) and learned some finer footwork fundamentals and timing. I have gained a tenfold understanding of the approach to life and basketball itself that Kobe adopted. Discipline is a lost art, and Kobe had it in spades. As I went on to continue to consume basketball content and begin to create it I began to actually unravel the effect Kobe had on the sport at large. 

Much like Michael Jordan practically created Kobe, the ‘Black Mamba’ served as an inspiration to a whole generation of the world’s best. Kyrie Irving, Paul George, Devin Booker & Jayson Tatum, in particular, have taken the nuggets that Kobe dropped to them and ran. After Kobe retired and his unfortunate passing, it never became more apparent to me how important it is to recognize the basketball and industrial greatness Kobe was able to accomplish as a scorer. These four players, in particular, have all picked up the mantle and light up the scoreboards today but rarely does any player reach the height of the moments Kobe has. Not only did he hit alot of big shots, but he was also ultra-consistent and often dominant in the playoffs throughout his prime. 

Per Cerebro, from 2000-01 to 2009-10, Kobe had a C-RAM score of 9.9 or higher (See Graphic) in every year and playoffs except the 2009-10 regular season. For almost a decade, as an undebatable superstar performer with a usage of over 30%, Kobe was able to win four championships, an MVP, two Finals MVPs, three All-Star Game MVPs, two scoring titles, and a beef with Shaq for the moniker of superstar of the Lakers. His prime was simply magnificent. Beyond being a pure bucket, Kobe also elevated many other elements of his game to reach the game’s mountaintop. As a nine-time All-Defense recipient, Kobe is well-accredited as a menace corralling the best players throughout his career. Kobe also goes notoriously underrated as a functional playmaker. Although it was never with much volume, Kobe took care of the ball. 

In 2002-03, Kobe displayed one of his best stretches of complete play at the highest level. Through Cerebro’s 5MS (5-Metric Suite), Kobe presented elite ‘Pure Scoring Prowess’, as well as great ‘Floor General Skills’ and ‘Defensive Stat Impact’. It was powerful to see the overall impact Kobe had in a single season where he played all 82 games. Oh yeah, 41.5 minutes per game. Pretty nuts. Young Kobe even showed growth this season as a shooter, jumping from a 47 ‘3-Point Efficiency’ rating in 2001-02 to a 74 in 02-03.

Kobe had three other ‘seasons’ like this where he demonstrated a multifaceted impact. All were in the playoffs. In 62 games total across the 2000-01, 2008-09, and 2009-10 playoffs, Kobe showed why he deserved all three of those rings and the Finals MVPs in 08 and 09. He had a PSP rating of 93 or higher in all three playoffs, with a 78 FGS rating or higher in all three as well. Pure offensive prowess. He also showed out in 2009-10 from behind the arc with a great rating of 80 3PE. When Kobe had the ball, good things tended to happen, especially in his prime. In 01 and 08, Kobe showed out with DSI ratings of 78 and 83, respectively. These numbers, although only 5 ratings apart, represent the growth and consistency of Kobe’s training. Defense often boils down to conditioning and mental preparedness. Kobe thrived to have the edge over his competition, and as his appetite for winning another championship grew, so did the bar for execution. 

“Once you know what failure feels like, determination chases success.”

-Kobe Bryant

This seems to be the moral of my Kobe Bryant story. As much as we want to nitpick each other’s lives and look outside ourselves for comfort in our own downfalls. Kobe Bryant’s career, mentality, and the people his messages have reached worldwide have instead looked within to push towards that next 1% of personal growth. As a coach, scout, brother, son, or human being, I can always look within myself to find room to grow rather than find the ways I was shorted at the moment. You cannot let time pass you by and miss your moment, and as demonstrated by the longevity of Kobe’s prime, you can’t let your greatness go. You have to chase it and obsess over it every day. 

Although this isn’t a typical article from me. I mostly write about the NBA Draft; I love basketball. Kobe Bryant was taken from the world way too soon, and it is my honor I get to share some of my takeaways at this point in my life from his game and career although I never got to meet him or see him play in person. To me, these lessons and parables are far greater than highlights. We lost a legend, but he left behind a blueprint for how to find peace within the fire and desire for success that lives inside most of us. Commit to who you are and what you are doing. “Winning takes precedence over all. There’s no gray area. No almosts”, Kobe Bryant.