Dear Kobe,
You
don’t know me, but I know you. Well, not personally, but I’ve been privileged
enough to be able to witness your entire twenty year career. I became a Laker
fan when I was a kid back in the early 90’s. I was not an avid fan during those
times, just more of a casual fan. That all changed when you were drafted by the
Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Lakers in 1996. This was one of the greatest
moves by the GM at the time Jerry West who realized that you were a once in a
lifetime player and over the years you have put in the hard work to prove that
this is true. I was only 11 years old at the time and from then on I’ve been
one of your biggest fans!
I
have many memories over the past twenty years that will be absolutely
unforgettable. The five Championships were obviously some of the greatest
memories, but the one I enjoyed the most was the 2010 Championship against the
Boston Celtics. That series had everything any real basketball fan would want
in a Championship matchup! A hard fought seven game series that came all the
way down to the end. Every game a back and forth battle. This was unlike any of
the prior Championships you won because the previous Championships were won in
dominating fashion. I feel like this was your greatest Championship because
this was YOUR team and you were able to shutup every single idiot who hopped on
the hate train during the feud between you and Shaq.
The
night you scored 81 points in one game was magical and I didn’t even get to see
it, but I was listening on the radio. I grew up in Reno, NV so we got Laker
games, but not every game and since you were playing Toronto and this was not a
national TV game it was nowhere to be found on cable. I remember watching
ESPNews and watching the ticker and noticing that every time it scrolled past
the games score I noticed how many points you were scoring was rising at an
insane rate and I had to at least hear what was going on! I have satellite
radio and luckily they play every NBA games radio broadcast so I immediately
tuned into the game and was literally jumping up and down with every basket you
scored. It is so hard to enjoy a basketball game on the radio, but this was a
game unlike any other in the history of the NBA. When it was all said and done
you scored the second most points in one game in NBA history…81 points!
When
you’re a Laker fan you expect the haters, but you Mr. Bryant brought on the
haters like no other! I cannot tell you how many arguments I have been in over
the years about you!! I have your back for life and will NEVER back down from a
Kobe Bryant argument no matter who you are!! One of my favorite arguments was
when I was at work I was decked out in all Lakers wearing a Kobe jersey. I
worked at the mall and it was in the afternoon on a weekday so no one else was
in the store besides this customer and me. He notices my jersey and scoffs
“Pfff Kobe he ain’t the best player in the NBA!” I look at him and laugh and
respond with “please oh great one enlighten me with who the best player in the
league is today?” His response of course was every haters response at the time
with “LeBron!” Now mind you at this time LeBron had ZERO rings and just got swept
out of the NBA Finals the previous season so I look at him and just start
laughing in the most condescending bitch way I possibly could and this fat fuck
got a little upset by that. So eventually our argument gets so heated we are
like inches from eachothers face arguing back and forth about Kobe Vs. LeBron.
Side note I am a 5’2’’ one hundred pound girl. This guy is about 6’3’’ and
three hundred pounds (or more). Once the argument was over I think he felt kind
of stupid and eventually he left. So like I said before I don’t care who you
are I’ll get in your face if you don’t show the Mamba respect!
I
could go on forever about the numerous memories you have provided myself and
many others over the past twenty years, but there isn’t enough time! Your final season has been tough to watch
because of how awful the team is in general, but it also has been great to see
you get your respect from the league, the fans and even your haters. This is
the first year EVER I have not been in a major Kobe fight with a hater! It’s
been odd to not see you as the villain this season, but it’s because we all
know the imprint you have left behind on this game was great to watch and even
the haters can’t continue lying to themselves about it! You are a legend and I
am so happy to have been able to come along for the ride and watch you play
your entire twenty year career on my favorite team, the Lakers. Our paths may
never cross and we may never even have so much as a hand shake, but I do really
want to thank you for all of memories over the past twenty years. They were
great and amazing and there will never be another Kobe Bean Bryant!
Sincerely,
Katie
Tropp
No comments:
Post a Comment