The Last Go-Round With Kobe Bryant

As we all know Kobe Bryant has announced his retirement. Bryant posted a letter on The Player’s Tribune on November 29. 

“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.” –Kobe Bryant

There will never be another person who will resemble the same dexterity of Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant is the epitome of greatness; he is the reason why I believe in the quote “All sweat is not created equally”. Just recently I watched Bryant’s documentary The Muse. It shows his rehabilitation and grind back onto the court. Bryant’s infrequent mental toughness is the cause for his triumphs. Also, his love and passion for basketball gave him the determination he needed to come back for his final NBA season. (If you haven’t watched The Muse, please do).

Sporadically Kobe Bryant displays an array of skills. In the month of December, Bryant had two games in which he scored thirty-one points versus the Denver Nuggets and Washington Wizards. Although the Lakers are last in the western conference, Bryant continues to enjoy his last professional season and mentoring the newer players in the Lakers organization.

This season, Bryant is averaging 17.2 PPG, 3.4 APG, and 4.0 RPG. These are great stats, especially for someone coming from an Achilles injury. However, it’s surreal that Bryant’s last game could be Wednesday, April 13^th 2016 at the Staples Center verses the Utah Jazz. Unless the Lakers win every game after the All-Star break, it will be difficult for them to make the Play-Offs.

The NBA is not only losing a leader but a 5x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 1 x season MVP, 1x scoring champion, 11x All-NBA First Team player, 9x All-Defensive team player, and a 17x NBA-All-star.

“Pure Greatness”