Kobe Bryant: One Score

A score is an old saying for the number 20. Fitting, because in the basketball world, Kobe has for the most part been analogous with the word “score.” Even more fittingly, he is retiring at a time where he can say he has played an entire score, 20 years. Twenty years he graced us with a variety of scores. Kobe scored so much that it became a common saying in pop culture, whether you’re shooting a piece of trash, paper, mini-basketball, to yell, not “score," but “KOBE!” That’s how synonymous Kobe Bryant is with the word score. Now, on the heels of his last game in the NBA, I want to appreciate the fact that he has blessed us with one monumental, game-changing, record-breaking, unapologetic, score.

What do I say about this man that hasn’t already been said this year, and won’t already be said in days to come? The accolades are well known, what with the five NBA Championships, seven Finals appearances, over 33,000 points scored, 12-time All-Defense selection, MVP, scoring champ, Olympic Gold Medalist, etc. That list is nowhere near done; there will always be something more to say on how Kobe impacted this game of basketball and completely dominated for, if not entirely for his whole career, over at least 14 years.

Kobe came into this league before I was even born. I was not alive or able to perceive his early years of greatness, but believe me, the moment I knew what basketball was, Kobe Bryant was there. Growing up, my favorite players were Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant. This isn’t necessarily a shock, or anything that made me special, as literally millions of kids had the same, maybe even more, adoration for those two players. From the moment I started watching basketball, I was completely captivated by Kobe Bryant’s skill. It was unreal... absolutely unreal. He was athletic, he could jump out of the arena, and he could make shots I wouldn’t dare take. I could and perhaps should rant about the skill, but to me, that’s just natural. That’s something everyone had to accept: Kobe was naturally better than you at everything and there was nothing you could ever do to stop it. If he wanted it, he had the gift to take it. Nothing could ever stop that. What really struck me about Kobe and is something I will take with me to the grave is who Kobe was when he lacked.

In my days of learning how to play basketball, whoever was teaching me at the time would always tell me if I had a bad play or a bad shot, forget about it and move on to the next play. Get em' next time. Kobe never forgot. Kobe can’t forget. He can shoot and miss, and the only thing on his mind after that is anger at his previous miss, then determined redemption when he demands the ball and scratches any set play to shoot again. He knows he can make the shot; he knows he can defend the best player; he knows he can win the game. He wasn’t graceful in defeat, and his shoot-again mentality wasn’t always graceful in result, but it was Kobe. Kobe could care less about the numbers; he epitomizes win first, think later. Kobe is the career leader in missed shots, and he is aware. He doesn’t want to miss these shots, but he feels every single one is necessary for him to be the best and when he is the best, his teams are nearly unstoppable.

One of my favorite quotes: “I would go 0-30 before I would go 0-9. 0-9 means you beat yourself, you psyched yourself out of the game, because Deron Williams can get more shots in the game. The only reason is because you’ve just now lost confidence in yourself.” Kobe is the hardest working man I’ve ever seen only work for himself. Kobe wants to prove himself wrong, never any media, never a coach, never a scout, never a rival. The man is far from perfect, as a person and basketball player, but I have never disagreed with him. I never been mad at him. Nothing has ever made me question his decisions or my fandom. One reason being that he simply does not care. He knows that I don’t know it all, so why judge him for falling short the same way. He knows he’s better than me and almost everyone else ever at what he does, so why yield for mere mortals like us? He knows he has done everything an aspiring basketball player could dream of achieving, and yet he wants to continue adding to the resume. Funny thing is, the reason I have loved him all these years is because the resume is to himself, for the job of a better Kobe Bryant. He will never stop working, even now as his last game approaches, I will bet my life’s savings his preparations are just as intense and rigid. He works to be better than himself, regardless of what pundits and supporters say.

Kobe admitted to fans in China that they should hate him; why would a man say this? Why would anyone in their right mind say this? It’s not like he has CTE we don’t know about (shout out to Roger Goodell). Why? Because Kobe Bryant has been about Kobe Bryant from day one and there is no other way he would ever draw it up. He has been called selfish and a ball-hog throughout his entire career. He has been called braggadocios and arrogant. The thing is, normally when athletes are called out like that so frequently, they defend themselves; they fight back; they respond, or change; they at least react. However, if you’ve watched Kobe over the years, he actually fits the mold! He will hold the ball for 20 seconds and shoot. He will stop the play and not pass. He will take all the shots if you give him the opportunity. I loved it. I loved it so much. I never wanted him to not take the shot for two reasons: one because nine times out of 10 he was the most capable of making said shot, and two because he is the only superstar in my memory to actually have the balls to fully ignore others and play his game the way he sees appropriate.

Nothing I said in this article is justice to what Kobe has meant to the sport of basketball, to my love for basketball, to my love and respect for him, and for what he has meant to my young life. For 20 years Kobe Bryant has been a professional, and every single year, he has given his bones, his family, his money, his time, his energy, and his effort to deliver the best product conceivable. For an entire “score”, he was willing to die on the court. For an entire score, he tuned out millions and listened to himself; he stayed true to himself. For an entire score, he pioneered a post-Michael Jordan era of basketball. For an entire score, he talked, he yelled, he barked, he stared, he glared, he demanded, he gave, he shot, he dunked, he missed, he embarrassed, he rewrote history. He is separate from the Larry Birds, the Magics, the MJs; he is himself. He will always be himself, and there will never be a duplicate. You know what, though? It worked. The results speak for themselves, loudly. He did that; he willed that. Kobe Bean Bryant. One man. Whether there are people better than him to come along, or all his records are wiped away by someone else, there will never be another Kobe Bryant. No child, relative, descendant of his could even come close; there will never ever be anyone who can be what the Black Mamba was, not statistically or socially. No one can score like him.