Kobe Bryant, the basketball Los Angeles Lakers legend, had officially announced his retirement from NBA on Nov. 29
Kobe, 37, after his 20 years in the game announced that the season 2015 to 2016 will be his last saying,
“This season is all I have left to give.”
Indeed, Kobe left us more than enough to remember including having a champion ring for five times, scoring more than 32, 000 points, 17 All-Star selections, along with two Olympic Gold medals. Kobe Bryant sure will be remembered as a true Los Angeles Lakers legend.
Let’s not forget Kobe’s Piece written below entitled “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
It may be saddening to hear for Laker fans, especially if he had been a huge part in the basketball team. However, let us indeed support his decision in looking for a new chapter in life.
