dankok8
01-26-2021, 02:04 AM
Seems fitting as today is the 1-year anniversary of his death.
The video is a fantastic breakdown of Kobe's game at his peak:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jopi5e46PAY
Let me tell you all a little Kobe story that is close to my heart that I'll never forget.
I remember being in university taking a statistics class in the evening on January 22, 2006 and chatting with another dude who loved ball and he said "Bro, how many you think Kobe is gonna drop on our team tonight?". You see they were playing my Raptors in Staples and Kobe came into that game having averaged like 41 ppg in the month of January. I remember we were checking the score of the game on his laptop as he was getting 60, 65, 70, 75... It was just insane. 81 points the highest scoring total since Wilt. We were almost disappointed because we wanted him to pass Wilt. That year the man dragged a team starting Smush Parker, Brian Cook, Lamar Odom and Chris Mihm to the playoffs in a tough Western Conference. They had Kwame Brown and Luke Walton as their main bench players. Everyone who followed basketball was just in awe of Kobe. The younger gen doesn't understand this cat... his determination, his total mastery of the game. The title of the video "offensive virtuoso" summarizes Kobe as well as anything I've seen. He could do everything. He could play like any other guard that's ever played almost. He could slash like Wade, hit midrange J's like MJ, hit pull-ups like Harden, dominate in the post like Kawhi, move off-ball like Ray Allen. Of course not 100% like them but he could imitate any of these players and could play in seemingly every way. That's how diverse his skillset was.
Kobe's death hit me hard a basketball fan, harder than any celebrity death in my entire life. I was never rooting for Kobe when he played and was certainly never a Lakers fan but I never realized how much enjoyment I got out of watching him play. Sometimes it doesn't hit you how much you loved watching something until it's gone. Yes Kobe had already retired when he passed away but his death in a way made his career removed in time. I can't explain. It just saddens me that he's almost forgotten. Lakers won the chip last year and no one not Lebron, not Davis, not Jeanie Buss no one mentioned Kobe except that one reporter who asked a question about him to Davis. My basketball experience would be completely different had I never watched Kobe. When I play ball in the playground to this day I imagine Kobe more than anyone. He is the closest to a basketball master. The imperfect perfection. The GOAT when it comes to basketball skills even if not impact or resume.
RIP Kobe... legend forever.
The video is a fantastic breakdown of Kobe's game at his peak:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jopi5e46PAY
Let me tell you all a little Kobe story that is close to my heart that I'll never forget.
I remember being in university taking a statistics class in the evening on January 22, 2006 and chatting with another dude who loved ball and he said "Bro, how many you think Kobe is gonna drop on our team tonight?". You see they were playing my Raptors in Staples and Kobe came into that game having averaged like 41 ppg in the month of January. I remember we were checking the score of the game on his laptop as he was getting 60, 65, 70, 75... It was just insane. 81 points the highest scoring total since Wilt. We were almost disappointed because we wanted him to pass Wilt. That year the man dragged a team starting Smush Parker, Brian Cook, Lamar Odom and Chris Mihm to the playoffs in a tough Western Conference. They had Kwame Brown and Luke Walton as their main bench players. Everyone who followed basketball was just in awe of Kobe. The younger gen doesn't understand this cat... his determination, his total mastery of the game. The title of the video "offensive virtuoso" summarizes Kobe as well as anything I've seen. He could do everything. He could play like any other guard that's ever played almost. He could slash like Wade, hit midrange J's like MJ, hit pull-ups like Harden, dominate in the post like Kawhi, move off-ball like Ray Allen. Of course not 100% like them but he could imitate any of these players and could play in seemingly every way. That's how diverse his skillset was.
Kobe's death hit me hard a basketball fan, harder than any celebrity death in my entire life. I was never rooting for Kobe when he played and was certainly never a Lakers fan but I never realized how much enjoyment I got out of watching him play. Sometimes it doesn't hit you how much you loved watching something until it's gone. Yes Kobe had already retired when he passed away but his death in a way made his career removed in time. I can't explain. It just saddens me that he's almost forgotten. Lakers won the chip last year and no one not Lebron, not Davis, not Jeanie Buss no one mentioned Kobe except that one reporter who asked a question about him to Davis. My basketball experience would be completely different had I never watched Kobe. When I play ball in the playground to this day I imagine Kobe more than anyone. He is the closest to a basketball master. The imperfect perfection. The GOAT when it comes to basketball skills even if not impact or resume.
RIP Kobe... legend forever.