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If you are familiar with my story, you’d know I grew up in Africa and emigrated to the USA in the 1990s. After this indescribable misfortune, I want to pay infinite respect to my favorite basketball player, Kobe Bryant. I say favorite even though I have a lot of favorite basketball players. When I was a teenager, Michael Jordan was the most famous ballplayer. Although I love Jordan, before 1997, I did not have 24 hours a day access to a television. I never watched a live Chicago Bulls game until the late 90s. With Hip Hop, I watched MTV music videos on VHS and listened to my favorite rapper’s cassette tapes and CDs on my Trident boombox.
When I was a teenager, Michael Jordan was the most famous ballplayer.”
Yes, I lived in Africa, but for me, Hip Hop music ran parallel with basketball. Though I lived in some of the poorest countries, I could access American magazines, VHS, cassette tapes, and CDs. Those items helped me experience rappers, actors, and basketball players, which were my three preferences as a teen. Moreover, since I couldn’t access television, I did my due diligence by learning black history the old-fashioned way – reading. Ironically, I never saw live NBA basketball games, but I still loved the sport. Some of my friends and I had basketball shoes and played some streetball. Black American culture ruled.
I couldn’t tell you why or how it happened, but I chose the New York Knicks as my favorite team at one point. Maybe it came from a Biggie rhyme. I remember falling in love with the Knicks uniform and always dreaming of going to Madison Square Garden to watch a Knicks game. One of my friends was like a celebrity in our neighborhood because he had Patrick Ewing’s Reebok. So yes, I was always a basketball fan. I’d learned about legends like Bill Russell, Dr. Jay, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson. At that time, Shaquille O’Neal was the player with whom I felt the most connected. That’s because he rapped.
O’Neal also had a sic Reebok at the time. He had made the legendary dunk that broke a backboard. Years later, though it was brief, I was delighted to meet him in Toronto, Canada. I also became a big Reggie Miller and Allen Iverson fan. Today, I’m an NBA nut who follows many players. Kobe Bryant became my favorite player because I watched him play. He signed with the NBA after I emigrated to the United States. Just imagine, my first goal after moving to America was to buy and enjoy everything I never had. I wanted a job, a furnished bedroom, an American girlfriend, a stereo player, a big-screen TV, and a nice car. Can you see the picture I’m painting?
The most seasoned NBA heads may not respect my list…
Between 1997 and 2001, I did a lot of shopping. I remember buying ten pairs of Tommy Hilfiger sneakers the first time I went to Marshals! The younger me bought every color in my size. LOL! I was so determined to experience the American Dream that I achieved my earliest goals by the autumn of 1999. Back then, I lived in a courteously furnished basement. I’d even enrolled in college to study theater arts. One of the things I did when I had my life together was to update myself on everything I’d missed. I caught up on old sitcoms, music videos, boxing matches, and movies, and finally, I watched Michael Jordan playing a live game on television.
And… as a die-hard Knicks fan, I fell in love with Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers. My admiration for Kobe Bryant spread to the entire NBA because I came to appreciate and respect all of his opponents. That was my first real experience as a basketball fan. My favorite players on that Lakers team were Robert Horry, Derek Fisher, Shaquille O’Neal, Rick Fox, and Kobe Bryant. At that time, my New York Knicks team lost almost every game while the Lakers were on fire. I’ve remained a Knicks fan over the years, although I’ve also supported other groups like the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Toronto Raptors.
The most seasoned NBA heads may not respect my favorite player list, but my top five players are Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, and Tim Duncan. You will find that Michael Jordan is the only player who wasn’t active for a long time after I moved to the United States. In the year 2000, I was in my early twenties. I was trying to figure out what I would do with my life. I’d come home from college or work, sit on the couch, and watch basketball on TV. There was also the NFL, MLB, PGA, Tennis, and a bit of Soccer. And whenever I tuned into ESPN or TNT, I saw Kobe Bryant as the most brilliant and exhilarating basketball player.
His long-distance three-pointer was a sure shot. He could drive the lane and drain most buckets off the dribble, and his dunks were explosive. As I got to know the prodigious basketball player, I discovered that his life was not so seamless. He had many detractors and haters. He was on a journey to prove his naysayers wrong as we cheered him on. Having similar problems, I connected to Kobe on a level deeper than basketball. In the 2000s, I did not believe in conspiracy theories. But as the years went by, I couldn’t avoid the thought that maybe someone was after Kobe Bryant. It turned out that the media criticized him no matter how well he played.
Many people slandered him. They claimed that he was arrogant, selfish, and proud.
It seemed like the mainstream media was always trying to destroy his image. Many people loved Kobe Bryant because we saw him dealing with this betrayal. He was fighting to preserve his reputation, family, and legacy. The fact that he was an excellent ballplayer pulled us even more. The more we loved him, the more the mainstream media tried to destroy his image. There was an annoying situation when other players and the press criticized him for not passing the ball. At that time, Kobe was wearing the number 8 jersey. Many people slandered him. They claimed that he was arrogant, selfish, and proud. It was a painful time for many of his fans.
The situation escalated into a feud between him and Shaq. People accused him of driving Shaq out of LA, which wasn’t the case. We watched him struggle with that situation. Then there was the sexual accusation that finally stained his image. Incidentally, a Colorado resort employee accused Kobe of rape. He claimed the sex was consensual. The question was whether that accusation was true or false. According to authorities, DNA revealed that the accuser had semen from several other men when they tested her. There have also been reports of some unexplained pubic hairs on her genitalia. Nevertheless, the authorities forced Kobe Bryant to apologize.
“First, I want to apologize directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologize to her for my behavior that night and the consequences she has suffered in the past year. Although this year has been incredibly difficult for me, I can only imagine the pain she has had to endure. I also want to apologize to her parents and family members, my family and friends, supporters, and the citizens of Eagle, Colorado.” He wrote. His confusing apology was in a context that suggested he may have misinterpreted her consent or lack thereof, or maybe someone forced him to say that. That apology sounds like an entrapment to many of his supporters.
What I admired was how this man, Kobe, went on to fight to save his marriage.
When the investigation revealed that the accuser had unprotected sex with various men right after she slept with Kobe, she abandoned her case. If I remember correctly, after the authorities broke off the counsel, she returned to sue him in a civil court and finally received a check. For us as fans, that arrangement was one-sided. Someone had directed the erotic faultfinder to seduce and entrap the ballplayer. It was also a moment of Kobe’s weakness since, at the same time, he was cheating on his beautiful wife, Vanessa. Can I judge the man? No! I’m also a man who would have fallen into an equivalent snare if the same deception had happened to me.
The accuser’s unverified claim prompted me to give Kobe the benefit of the doubt. I admired how this man fought to save his marriage. Some may conclude that I have overlooked the seriousness of adultery and rape. I will never do such a thing. After they dropped the charges, Kobe transformed into a more responsible man. I don’t want to play the race card, but in this society, racism is the elephant in the room. Had Kobe raped this Caucasian woman, the evidence would have shown that. And as a black man, he was already fighting to maintain his reputation. I don’t believe the authorities would drop the case without clear evidence that he committed that crime.
Again I blame Kobe to a certain extent. I commend him for coming clean about the adultery and doing everything he could to gain his wife’s forgiveness. In reality, one player does not win a championship. It takes a team effort. Without Shaquille O’Neal, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Rick Fox, and all the other players, the Lakers wouldn’t have won so many times. Kobe Bryant played a vital role in helping his team win their so-called three-peat. However, he did not receive the full appreciation he deserved for his contribution. Shaquille O’Neal joined the Miami Heat and won a championship with Dwayne Wade, and critics mocked Kobe as if it were karma.
Yes, he had sustained a severe injury, but to me, it felt like Kobe was…
Kobe Bryant became a superhero for most heterosexual black men. One couldn’t help but support him to the end. You wanted him to win other championships. You wanted his wife Vanessa to stay with him and Kobe to remain a responsible father and husband. None of us were there to know what happened with his accuser. As fans, we only imagined they dropped the case because he was innocent. We saw Kobe fight to make a comeback with a new Lakers team. They had slumped so badly that they struggled far worse than the New York Knicks. Kobe continued to work tirelessly. He believed he would win three more rings like Michael Jordan one day.
After many defeats, the sun finally shone on Kobe and his Los Angeles Lakers. They won two more back-to-back championships before the end of the 2000s. Kobe now had five championship rings, and his relentless media critics seemed to get fewer and fewer. Was anyone after Kobe Bryant for any reason? Had that person given up and decided to let him go? Those are questions I can’t answer. I was amazed that he retired early, even though he loved basketball. Yes, he had a severe injury. He could have played off the bench, but it looked like he grew tired and decided to move away from something, someone, or whatever it was that wouldn’t leave him alone.
Every non-Lakers fan who followed Kobe Bryant while he played in the league was looking forward to his career after the NBA. What else did he have to prove in the NBA? Bryant was the natural black mamba who survived a scandalous divorce twice, won three championships with a fantastic Lakers team, and two more with another great group of guys. We thought it was great that he had moved to the next phase of his life. He founded a film company (Granity Studios), produced a short film, and won an Emmy. Mamba invested in Venture Capital, spoke against racism in European Soccer, supported the WNBA, and appreciated billions of fans.
We eagerly anticipated seeing what Kobe Bryant was about to do next. He was only 41 years old and a fit, trilingual, articulate, wealthy, ambitious, and inspiring human being. He launched the Mamba Sports Academy as a workout facility. By 2020, Kobe had won against his critics! His marriage was respectable, and his adorable wife had just had another little girl. He enjoyed fatherhood with his daughters while Gigi, his second-born, rekindled his interest in basketball, vowing to continue his legacy. At that point, he could become a statesman or even president of the United States if he chose politics. It should be safe to say Kobe had everything to live for.
Unpredictably, on a fateful Sunday in January, his helicopter quickly ran into an unexpected fog, had a mysterious failure, crashed, and broke to pieces. Within minutes, the sudden and tragic accident ended the extraordinary lives of nine amazing people. May his soul rest in perfect peace! Thank you, Kobe Bryant, for everything you taught us. You showed us how to maintain a good work ethic, prove our critics wrong and be champions. How to deal with mistakes and shortcomings, and be a father to little girls. Rest in peace to Gianna Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Ara Zobayan, Sarah Chester, and Payton Chester.
My deepest and most heartfelt condolences to all the families. May the angels comfort you in this tragic and heartbreaking time. I want to sincerely sympathize with Mrs. Vanessa Bryant and the entire Bryant Family. Words can never express the pain in our hearts.*
Rest in Peace, Kobe Bryant!
