Shock, disbelief, unfathomable tragedy.  Just a few of the feelings running through everyone’s mind after the news of the passing of Kobe “Bean” Bryant on January 26, 2020.

Most of you who know me, know very well that the Lakers are my favorite team, and have been for pretty much all my life.  My hero and favorite NBA player was Magic.  But in 1996 this kid out of Philly burst on the scene and became the new favorite.  But not without some angst along the way.

When Shaq came to L.A., he was my guy.  He was the most dominant player in the game, and part of the Laker tradition of great centers, following in the footsteps of Mikan, Chamberlain and Abdul-Jabbar.  Who wouldn’t gravitate toward the most dominant player in the league?  But we drafted this young kid straight out of high school in ’96.  Actually, we made a draft day trade with the Charlotte Hornets to acquire the rights to Kobe Bryant.  A phenom out of Lower Marion High School in Pennsylvania.  My first thought was what the hell are we gonna do with this 17 year-old kid in L.A.?  This is a mistake.  The bright Hollywood lights are gonna eat this kid alive.  I was soooooo wrong!

Kobe proved almost immediately that he had the stuff to make it in this league.  In Kobe’s 2nd season in L.A. he made his first All-Star team.  Together with Shaq, they made the Western Conference Finals that year against Karl Malone, John Stockton and the Utah Jazz.  Unfortunately, they didn’t make The Finals that year, but used it as a learning experience.

Fast forward to the year 2000 and the first of 3 consecutive titles for arguably the best duo in NBA history.  Shaq and Kobe would win 3 straight Finals from 2000 to 2002.  Then came 2004 and The Finals loss to Detroit.  Shaq and Kobe had had enough of each other and desired to go their separate ways.  Shaq went to Miami, Phil retired, and Kobe was left holding the bag in L.A. with a cast of mediocre guys.  But his resolve and drive to be the best never wavered.

People said that he’d never win a title without Shaq, that he wasn’t good enough to carry a team to the “Promised Land”, but they were wrong about that too.  Little did they know, the Black Mamba was being unleashed.  In 2008, Kobe won league MVP and made it to The Finals against their arch rival the Boston Celtics.  They lost in 6 games but would make The Finals the next 2 seasons defeating the Orlando Magic in ’09 and winning the rematch with the Celtics in 2010.

After 2010, there were no more titles, only 2 more playoff appearances and a host of injuries.  There was the torn Achilles, the fractured leg, the torn rotator cuff, and he just kept coming back because he didn’t want to our last memory of him on the court to be of him being injured.

In 2016 Kobe retired from the league, but he went out with a BANG.  In his final game he scored 60 points and led the Lakers to a win over the Utah Jazz.  He thrilled us for 20 years in that purple and gold uniform, and was preparing to do some big things in what was going to be his 2nd act.  In 2018, Kobe won an Oscar for an animated short film called “Dear Basketball”.  He started a media company, Granity Studios, and began passing on his love for the game to his 13 year-old daughter Gianna (GiGi), even being a coach for her travel basketball team.

With so much going on, we were all expecting great things in this, his 2nd act.  But then the morning of January 26, 2020 happened.  We don’t know why, or the cause, but just when you thought The Mamba was invincible, we were reminded that no one is immortal or invincible.  On that fateful morning 9 lives were snuffed out, including Kobe Bryant and his daughter GiGi, as they were on their way to one of her travel basketball games.

I keep thinking this is some kind of cruel joke, or nightmare, and that I’m gonna wake up and everything will be ok.  But unfortunately, that’s not gonna happen.  Kobe was my guy, my favorite player.  And even though he wasn’t playing anymore, I always looked forward to interviews and news of what was next for him.  This really hurts, and probably will for a long time to come.  It feels like we’ve all been punched in the gut, and just can’t get any air; like we’ve lost a family member.

Our prayers go out to his wife Vannessa and their 3 daughters, Natalia, Bianca, and Capri, and to the families of the other 7 passengers aboard that helicopter.  May God keep them safe and comfort them during this difficult time.

Kobe, you will be missed, but never forgotten.  #MambaOut