Extremely OT: Kobe Bryant to retire at end of season

Submitted by Mr. Yost on

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

michfn2

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.

ghost

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.

snarling wolverine

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.

ClassOf14

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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Go Blue in MN

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.

Perkis-Size Me

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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ghost

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.  

Stringer Bell

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.

FairleyStUHpid

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.

Chitown Kev

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.)

Bill the Butcher

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"