February 5, 2020
Page 13
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O PINION
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The Legacy of Kobe Bryant: In His Own Words
He shared his work
ethnic mantra with
the world
c urtis b unn
Kobe Bryant
was the only man
in history to win
five NBA cham-
pionships,
two
Olympic gold medals, four All-Star
Most Valuable Player Awards and
an Oscar. And he could speak four
languages. A Beethoven fan, he was
a genuine man of many gifts and
interests.
Many measure Bryant’s life
by the numbers, but his humility,
sacrifice and tireless work ethic
shone through. He was the young-
est starter in NBA history, at 18
years and 158 days old. Bryant
became the first guard to play 20
consecutive seasons and all with
the same team. When he retired
in 2016, he had scored more than
30,000 points.
The greatness of Kobe’s athletic
career merited a first-ballot selec-
tion to the Hall of Fame, as the bas-
ketball world unanimously agreed.
He would have been inducted into
Hall this year even if he had sur-
vived the helicopter crash near Los
Angeles that killed him, his 13-year-
old daughter and seven other people
on Sunday.
But the world lost more than a
hardworking phenomenon known
for a picturesque jump-shot and
graceful style of play. Lost was an
honest voice that shared a lot. He
by
told his mercurial story in hearten-
ing detail. He shared his uneasiness
with life, and people who were not
hardcore NBA fans felt a connec-
tion to him.
“When I was growing up in
Italy, I grew up in isolation,”
Bryant said in 2015. “It was not
an environment suited to me. I
was the only black kid. I didn’t
speak the language. I’d be in
one city, but then we’d move to
a different city and I’d have to do
everything again.
“I’d make friends, but I’d never
be part of the group,” he added, “be-
cause the other kids were already
growing up together. So, this is how
I grew up, and these are the weak-
nesses that I have.”
Bryant’s plainspoken humanity
and link to the outside world are
not typical in professional sports.
He donated at least $1 million to
the National Museum of African
American History and Culture in
Washington, D.C. In Los Ange-
les he backed My Friends Place, a
safe haven for homeless youth, and
Stand Up on Second, which offers
job training and finds jobless Amer-
icans housing.
“The most important thing is that
you try to inspire people so they can
be great in whatever they want to
do,” Bryant said.
Part of his message, however,
was centered on the sort of sacrifice
he made during every off-season—
working out at 3 a.m., spending
countless hours in the gym perfect-
ing his artistry. . . instead of enjoy-
ing his wealth and down-time with
his wife and daughters.
“We can all be masters at our
craft, but you have to make a
choice,” Bryant said. “What I mean
by that is, there are inherent sacrific-
es that come along with that: family
time, hanging out with your friends,
being a great friend, being a great
son, nephew, whatever the case may
be. There are sacrifices that come
along with that.”
Bryant’s five NBA titles were
one short of his idol, Michael Jor-
dan, but more than most. In times of
duress, he wanted the ball, seeking
the responsibility of a game’s big-
gest moment. Often he delivered.
“If you’re afraid to fail, then
you’re probably going to fail,” said
Bryant. “My brain, it cannot process
failure. It will not process failure,
because if I sit there and have to
face myself and tell myself, ‘You’re
a failure’ ... I think that’s almost
worse than death.”
He was a constant thinker, a mus-
ing adventurist who won his 2018
Oscar for an animated short, “Dear
Basketball,” with music by “Star
Wars” composer John Williams.
He patterned the pace and momen-
tum of some games on Beethoven’s
Fifth Symphony. He thought of
himself as a symphony conductor,
leading the Lakers and their global
legion of fans in one orchestrated
aria after another.
And the ensemble of his oppo-
nents never intimidated him.
“The last time I was intimidated
was when I was six years old in ka-
rate class,” he said. “I was an orange
belt and the instructor ordered me to
fight a black belt who was a couple
years older and a lot bigger. I was
scared s**tless. I mean, I was terri-
fied, and he kicked my *ss.”
“But then I realized he didn’t
kick my *ss as bad as I thought he
was going to and that there was
nothing really to be afraid of,” Bry-
ant said. “That was around the time
I realized that intimidation didn’t re-
ally exist if you’re in the right frame
of mind.”
He shared that mantra with his
daughters, including his basket-
ball-loving 13-year-old Gianna,
who perished with him on Sunday.
He coached her team, basked in her
passion for the game, and was proud
she adopted his assertive attitude.
“The best thing that happens
when we go out,” Bryant said, “fans
will come up to me and she’ll be
standing next to me and they’ll be
like, ‘Hey, you gotta have a boy!
You and [wife Vanessa] gotta have
a boy to have somebody to carry on
the tradition and the legacy.’”
And Gianna, he said, replied:
“Hey, I got this! You don’t need a
boy for that.’ ”
Kobe smiled a daddy’s grin,
broad and knowing. It was a proud
moment for him.
“Have a good time,” he said.
“Life is too short to get bogged
down and be discouraged. You have
to keep moving. You have to keep
going. Put one foot in front of the
other, smile and just keep on rolling.
“It’s the one thing you can con-
trol. You are responsible for how
people remember you or don’t. So,
don’t take it lightly.”
Curtis Bunn is a writer for the
Urban News Service, a division of
Zenger News.
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