If you grew up in the 90s and the 2000s, Kobe Bryant was a part of your childhood. You watched him grow up because it feels like we all grew up together. Do you remember when he took Brandy to prom? I always loved his Sprite commercials. My favorites were the one with him and Tim Duncan, and the one where they show Kobe in a bunch of different professions (Links to commercials are at the end of the article).
Kobe had a childhood that many of us didn’t have. He was well traveled at the of 17. When I discovered Kobe spoke 5 languages I was in awe. It made me view him on much deeper level. In a way, it showed me his depth without it being truly exposed. From that day on,I was a Kobe fan. Not a Lakers fan, but a Kobe fan! I watched Kobe grow from a playful teen to a husband and Father. I watched him in the beginning of his basketball career until the end of his career when he retired in 2016, and I wondered what he was going to do after retirement.
It was noble and unexpected in my opinion that he wanted to make up for all the time he missed while his children were growing up. In just 3 years, he managed to do just that, along with creating another child. Not to mention he won an Oscar for his short film. The public loved all of the moments they were able to capture with him and his second oldest child, Gianna. Everything from special hand shakes between them, him silently giving her advice while they watched games together, and him coaching Gianna’s team. It seems everywhere you saw Kobe, you saw Gi Gi (Gianna).
Kobe and Gianna’s lives ending so drastically and unexpectedly it feels unreal. The world was excited to see how much of a basketball beast Gianna was going to be. We wanted to see what more Kobe was going to do with his life while encouraging us. I definitely cried and I took forever to write this article because it is truly unbelievable for me. I must say if I had to try to make sense of things, I truly believe Gi Gi is the child that could not live without her Dad.
I admired how he secretly did all of these amazing things for people and organizations, and kept his family life private. There is nothing complicated about Kobe’s legacy. Yet, there are people trying to complicate his legacy for ratings and profits.
I always say that death has a way of finalizing things and at the same time showing us what is important. I think Kobe always tried to show us what was important. The here and now and working for what we want without excuses. He emphasized those lessons. If you didn’t learn anything from this tragedy I hope you learned to go after what you want and don’t waste time or make excuses for yourself. Build your own legacy for people to follow.
Be a trailblazer.
Mamba out….
Love this article! Wonderfully written. You’ve hit the points from his legacy through and through
Great article!!
Thank you Janet!
Thank you so much! Im so sad about this.
Eloquently Written I fell deeply for Kobe being True to his craft and not allowing others determine his outcome! Keep writing your truth Raestyle!
Absolutely! We can all learn something from him in that area! Thank you so much!