Extremely OT: Kobe Bryant to retire at end of season
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14254236/kobe-bryant-los-angeles-lake…
http://www.theplayerstribune.com/dear-basketball/
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
November 29th, 2015 at 7:16 PM ^
Tears rolling down my eyes reading this
I have been a Kobe fan all my life
Truly one if the best players of all time
A sad day in basketball indeed
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November 29th, 2015 at 9:04 PM ^
Always sad to see legends retiring/declining in sports.
Great career Kobe, even though you really didn't have to emulate Jordan so much 24/7.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:17 PM ^
About time. Hasn't been the same player for years now, and is just an embarrassment this year. Considering Byron Scott won't even bench him, he probably wont make it through the season without another injury.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:22 PM ^
Your post is an embarrasment to Michigan fans and sports fans in general.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:25 PM ^
Disagree. I'm not embarrassed. A lot of people share the opinion. I personally don't care either way.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:27 PM ^
Big embarrassment, you should be grateful you experience one of the all time greats
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November 29th, 2015 at 7:46 PM ^
I too, am thankful I was able to watch LeBron in his prime
November 29th, 2015 at 7:51 PM ^
I thought we were talking about Wally Sczerbiak.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:59 PM ^
Szczerbiak, jeez can't anyone spell obscure european names anymore
November 29th, 2015 at 10:56 PM ^
He will always have Miami to remember.
November 29th, 2015 at 8:34 PM ^
Wow. misplaced sense of privilege there. I feel privileged to live in a time of some amazing people, but Kobe is not one of them.
November 30th, 2015 at 6:35 AM ^
To say Kobe wasn't great just shows your clear bias and I am no Lakers fan.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:39 PM ^
No they don't. Watch the reactions he will get in arenas the rest of the year. That tells you what people think of a player.
Just because you hate the Lakers doesn't make him an embarassment at all. You can dislike players like Jeter, Brady, Manning, Lebron etc, but to say they are an embarrasment just makes you look like a fool.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:54 PM ^
I'm pretty sure he's saying the way Kobe is playing this year is an embarrassment, which is true.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:59 PM ^
Bingo
November 29th, 2015 at 7:45 PM ^
How the fuck is that an embarrassment? It's the truth. He looks worse than Jordan did during his Wizards career right now.
November 29th, 2015 at 8:28 PM ^
It was the timing of it. Bringing this up right after the beautiful words Kobe wrote saying goodbye to the game he gave so much to kind of makes you seem like an asshole.
November 29th, 2015 at 10:08 PM ^
He's retiring from basketball because he's washed up and now gets to go enjoy his millions full time. He's not dying and he didn't just get a cancer diagnosis.
November 29th, 2015 at 8:56 PM ^
I think some of you are getting a little too emotional here. This isn't like Magic Johnson having to stop his career in his prime because he had HIV. Kobe is unquestionably an all-time great but this day was clearly coming. He's been a shell of his old self for a long time. Personally, I don't like seeing great players hang on way too long. I think it's good that he's wrapping it up, and he has this final season to receive accolades from everyone.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:27 PM ^
Please..
November 29th, 2015 at 8:46 PM ^
Kobe has absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. He was the face of the sport for a decade and has had the career that every NBA player dreams of. It's sad to see that he can't reach the level we've become accustomed to seeing him play at, but I have nothing but respect for him
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November 29th, 2015 at 7:18 PM ^
Although I am not a fan of Kobe Bryant, words cannot express how much I respect him as a player. He will truly be missed by the basketball world.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:24 PM ^
Don't care
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November 29th, 2015 at 7:26 PM ^
don't care
November 29th, 2015 at 9:52 PM ^
For stopping by
November 29th, 2015 at 7:24 PM ^
I like the NBA slightly less than I like the NFL. And I do not like the NFL.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:27 PM ^
I do not see how your dislike for the NBA has anything to do with Kobe Bryant announcing his retirement.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:41 PM ^
I don't like the NBA. Therefore, I could care less if Kobe Bryant is retiring or playing until both his knees fall off. That's all I meant...
November 29th, 2015 at 7:45 PM ^
You've now commented twice on a thread that clearly was about the NBA. Just to tell us you don't care. Why? If you don't care about the NBA, don't read the thread or, at the very least, don't comment to tell us you don't care about the thread you've chosen to read and comment on.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:46 PM ^
I couldn't.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:46 PM ^
I could care less about pro basketball as well.
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November 29th, 2015 at 7:56 PM ^
Just thought I'd make it three comments...me no like NBA...
December 1st, 2015 at 6:16 AM ^
I figured you'd be banned by now. oh well. tomorrow is a new day
November 29th, 2015 at 7:26 PM ^
I wonder if Kobe and Peppers had the same "editor" at the players tribune.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:31 PM ^
Kobe has always been a little emo.
November 29th, 2015 at 8:22 PM ^
Agreed. He has also seemed somewhat high-maintenance. I've always liked Kobe the player (easily one of the all-time greats) more than Kobe the person.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:35 PM ^
Great player, no doubt, and definitely one of the all time greats. But he always seemed like a complete asshole, and past incidents seem to indicate that he was a less than stellar human being.
Part of it was him being a fierce competitor, I'm sure, but he does not seem like a person I'd ever want to hang out with.
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November 29th, 2015 at 7:40 PM ^
I agree. I am conflicted. From a basketball standpoint, I have no choice but to respect him for all of his accomplishments (5 championships) but he was a hard teammate to get along with. He chased off Shaq and Dwight Howard as well as throwing other players under the bus.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:43 PM ^
Dwight Howard has not gotten along anywhere he has played. Guy made a total ass of himself with Stan Van Gundy in Orlando and the Rockets look like a complete disaster. Shaq and Kobe were likely equally to blame for their issues with each other, but Dwight Howard has been awful teammate everywhere he has been.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:52 PM ^
The Lakers front office chased off Dwight Howard when they hired a run-and-gun coach. It was a terrible system for Howard and he hated it from the start.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:57 PM ^
Shaq seems likeable but has burnt bridges in half a dozen nba cities. Kobe stuck in one place 18 years.
I always liked him, personally. Very underrated quotable.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:37 PM ^
I remember watching his 81 point performance, probably one of the most incredible individual performances I've ever seen. Always liked and respected Kobe. He's one of the all time greats and was a joy to watch.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:38 PM ^
All you have left to give? DUDE you're being given 25 million dollars to shoot 5-20 and sit on the bench for half the game. Cry me a river....
November 29th, 2015 at 7:41 PM ^
The hell out of Kobe. One of the all time great competitors and players. Painful to watch him now, but it almost always is at the end.
November 29th, 2015 at 10:35 PM ^
He's definitely lost a few steps these last few years and isn't the same player. It is a shame to see all his injuries because he was still performing at a high level before the injuries and his drive is still there. I wouldn't be surprised if he plays fewer than 40 games this season, maybe even shutting it all down by the All Star break.
November 29th, 2015 at 7:44 PM ^
Kobe reminded me of mj. He'd cut your heart. Just to do it.
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November 29th, 2015 at 7:58 PM ^
Just hush yo' filthy mouth comparing Bryant to Jordan (although, as this is a Michigan blog, I get that some people here probably don't think to highly of Jordan...but I say to you all that DO feel that way that you simply need to stop hatin', lol)
(MJ and the Bulls is one of the few conversions that I have made in my time in Chicago...heck, I don't even get into the Blackhawks.)
November 29th, 2015 at 8:02 PM ^
He said he had Jordan-esque competiveness. He never said Kobe was better or as good as MJ.
That being said, Kobe and MJ are a much better comparison than MJ and Lebron due to style of play, position etc..
MJ was still better but as Jalen Rose says "if MJ is the original then Kobe Bryant is the remix baby"