Nov 29, 2015 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 http://www.theplayerstribune.com/dear-basketball/ @NBAsxn Lakers fans received a special letter from Kobe at last nights game "When we first met I was just a kid. Some of you took me in. Some of you didn't. But all of you helped me become the player and man in front of you today. You gave me confidence to put my anger to good use. Your doubt gave me determination to prove you wrong. You witnessed my fears morph into strength. Your rejection taught me courage. "Whether you view me as a hero or a villain, please know I poured every emotion, every bit of passion and my entire self into being a Laker. What've you done for me is far greater than anything I've done for you. I knew that each minute of each game that I wore purple and gold. I honor it as I play today and for the rest of this season. My love for this city, this team, and for each of you will never fade. Thank you for this incredible journey." SC Press Conference 11/29/15 Spoiler: Reactions from current & former players on social media paugasol #ThankYouKobe theofficialai3 Congratulations on a great career from one of your biggest fans. You've always been a top competitor with a big heart. Much love, AI teamswish One of the most under appreciated players to ever play is saying goodbye to the game he gave his all! Everyone has their own opinion on him, his game, how many shots he shoots, he's the reason why Shaq left or whatever! He always remained true to the game! Extra shots✔️ Weight room ✔️ treatment for his body✔️watching film✔️ true student of the game! Goes without saying 1 of the GREATEST TO EVER DO IT! #ThankYouKobe g_hender09 I'll let the cat out of the bag finally....Kobe was my favorite player growing up..... Shocker? lol Kids, make sure you are your favorite player first but it's always good to have someone else to look up to #RESPECT#SALUTE#KOBE willthethrillb5 The only basketball player I ever idolized, wanted to be like, & play like. Thanks for everything you taught me. How to be a champion, how to overcome adversity, how to dedicate ya self to your passion. Watching ya highlights got me through high school, college, & even gets me motivated to this day. The things you went through in your personal life showing you are still human when I thought you were a supreme being & came out stronger helped me realize you don't have to be perfect to accomplish ya dreams & you can bounce back from anything if you are determined. Ya determination & will is second to none & I'll always admire that about you. I'll never forget our conversation & cherish it forever .....Thanks for everything to the greatest basketball player of all time Kobe Bryant. The game will never be the same. Wayne Ellington: As a kid growing up in Philadelphia, Nets guard Wayne Ellington had a special connection with Bryant, who began to make his legend at Lower Merion High School in the Philly suburbs. But that connection only grew stronger last season, when Ellington spent the year playing alongside Bryant with the Lakers. “It meant a lot,” Ellington said after the Nets beat the Pistons in Brooklyn Sunday night. “He’s a guy that inspired me, honestly. As a young kid, to get out there, I used to be out there on the court trying to be Kobe. Man, it’s crazy that he’s going to hang it up, but at the same time, he’s leaving a legacy that’s unbelievable. Especially just his generation. “Kobe is, in my mind, the best player in our generation, our era so far, so it’s crazy that he’s going to go out, but at the same time, it’s a blessing. I’m sure he’s happy and he’s ready to spend some time with his family and relax. When we played them [earlier in November], though, he told me. I said, ‘I see I’ve got the family with you.’ He said, ‘Yeah, I’ve got the family. This is my last go-round.’ So that took me back a bit, too.” Rondae Hollis Jefferson: Another Net with Philly ties, rookie Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, got the chance to live out his own personal dream during that Nets-Lakers game. Hollis-Jefferson, who had been hoping to meet Bryant for years, finally got the chance to do so. “It was great to be in his presence, to hear from him,” Hollis-Jefferson said. “[For him] to tell me that he’s watching, he’s noticing … it means the world. It gives you a sense of hope that you can be something special. That’s all I’m trying to be, something special.” Dwight Howard: Not everyone, however, was celebrating Bryant’s announcement. Houston center Dwight Howard, who had a contentious relationship with Bryant during their one season together in Los Angeles before Howard left the Lakers in free agency, was asked after Sunday’s Rockets-Knicks game what he’d learned from Bryant during their year as teammates. “Did I learn something from him? Howard said, followed by a laugh and an uncomfortable pause. ”Oh, man … we’re going to go to the next question now.” Prior to that, though, Howard was complimentary of Bryant, extolling his many accomplishments throughout his 20-year career. “Oh, man. Kobe is one of the greatest to ever play the game,” Howard said. “He had an amazing career … it all comes to an end for all of us. He was somebody we all grew up watching. Seeing him go from the Afro to changing to another number to all that stuff … 81 points, he just had a very good career. “He paved the way for so many players coming out of high school, and his work ethic, everything that he stands for on the court has been great. For, what, 20 years? That’s amazing, to play this game for a long time. I know it’ll probably be tough because he loves this game so much, but all of us have to face that reality one day, and I just wish him well.” James Harden: “A legend,” Harden said in describing Bryant’s game. “I grew up watching him. He was my ‘MJ.’ Just for him to be done, for his last go-round, it’s sad. That’s the end of a dynasty. He had a really good run, but it comes to an end. He’s a monster. He’s a beast. “He’s a warrior, man. He’s a competitor. I don’t think there will ever be another guy like him. The way he did it, he willed his teammates to victories, championships, things like that. It was a great story.” Kevin Durant: “I did idolize Kobe Bryant. I studied him, wanted to be like him. He was our Michael Jordan. I watched Michael toward the end of his career with the Wizards and I seen that’s what Kobe emerged as the guy for us. I’ve been disappointed this year because you guys (media) treated him like s---. He’s a legend and all I hear is about how bad he’s playing, how bad he’s shooting, time for him to hang it up. You guys treated one of our legends like s--- and I didn’t really like it. Hopefully now you can start being nice to him now that he decided to retire after this year. It was sad the way he was getting treated. He had just an amazing career, a guy who changed the game for me as a player mentally and physically. Means so much to the game of basketball. Someone I’m always gonna look to advice for anything. Just a brilliant, brilliant, intelligent man. Sad to see him go. He put his mark on the game.” Spoiler: Classic Kobe Stories/Moments Kobe Bryant and the 40-mile bike ride Interesting tidbit from an article on the Clippers’ Blake Griffin, by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne: Blake Griffin needs to know if the story is true. Ever since he first heard it last July, he’s been obsessed with it. "The first night we all got into Las Vegas last summer for the USA Basketball camp, I heard Kobe went on some 40-mile bike ride at night through the desert," Griffin says. "Forty miles? At night? You think it’s true?" Before I can answer, Griffin continues: "When I found out about that bike ride, I was so tempted to ask him if I could go next time." This is my favorite part about Kobe: you assume this story is true. Forty miles in the desert? You don’t even question it. …in this moment, all Griffin wants to talk about is whether or not Kobe Bryant really got on a bike and rode 40 miles through the desert last July. "I love that stuff," Griffin says. "I love all those stories." The story Griffin heard turns out to be true. And it goes something like this: Bryant told his longtime trainer, Tim Grover, that he wanted to add in bike training to his summer conditioning. Grover researched a trail in Las Vegas, rented three bikes — one for Bryant, one for himself and one for Bryant’s security guard — and on the night before the first day of practice, they each put on headlamps and headed out to the trail and rode. "We finished up around 2 a.m." Grover said. "And we were back in the gym working out by 7:30 in the morning." And that’s just it. To Blake Griffin, and most of the NBA, these are just stories. To Kobe Bryant, that’s a Tuesday night. He decided to lose 16 lbs for the Olympics in 2012 Kobe has never been out of shape, but he decided to change himself as a precautionary measure. He told the Guardian: "With summer basketball leading directly into the season — and I'm expecting to play until next June — I have to take some load off my knees. I've got to shave some of this weight." He'd make high school teammates play one-on-one games to 100 Kobe played a bench warmer to 100 multiple times when he was in high school. In Kobe's worst game, he still won 100-12. He used to practice by himself without a ball, says Shaq Shaq wrote in his book: "You'd walk in there and he'd be cutting and grunting and motioning like he was dribbling and shooting — except there was no ball. I thought it was weird, but I'm pretty sure it helped him." He goes through super intense workouts on game days From ESPN's Rick Reilly: "Among a dozen other drills, Bryant does suicide push-ups. At the top of the pushup, he launches himself off the mat so hard that both his feet come off the ground and his hands slap his pecs. He does three sets of seven of these. This makes me turn away and whimper softly." He watches film of himself at halftime According to ESPN's Jackie McMullen in 2010: "He often corrals teammates, fires up the laptop, and shows them precisely how they can carve out easier shots for themselves." Caron Butler Caron Butler says he's grateful he spent a year in Los Angeles as Kobe Bryant's teammate and work out partner. "I say that's the best thing that ever could have happened for me personally for my career," Butler said. "To play alongside a guy like that, see his preparation, see what it takes to get to that level, that's why I was able to be so good in Washington because I took everything I learned from him under his wing." Butler played in 77 games in 2004-05 with the Lakers. He averaged a then career-high (by a tick) 15.5 points and then career-high 5.8 rebounds. His free throw shooting improved, too. "Work ethic," Butler said. "He comes to the gym 6:30, 7 in the morning, gets shots every day, a rhythm. Afterward hits the weight room, works out in the summer, studying film, critiquing guys, watching their tendencies, picking things up ... Just studying the game with him taught me a lot." Butler and Bryant talk every couple of weeks, and when Butler was traded to Dallas, Bryant was quick with a call. "He told me he was happy for me and happy to see me in a situation to be able to legitimately compete for a title," Butler said. But Wednesday will be a different conversation. "You always hear that he's ready to compete," Butler said. "He's happy but at the same time once we get on the court all bets are off with Kobe. He's going to bring it, then hug me afterwards. That's how it is. It's business." Kevin Durant "We had the day off, but they said we could get some shots up if we wanted, so I decided to head over to the gym with [Oklahoma City teammate] Jeff Green. "Kobe [Bryant] was the only guy on the bus to the gym, and that spoke volumes to me -- he's the best player in the game, yet he's always willing to come work on his game, so that kind of motivated me and Jeff," Durant said. "He went by himself, he got a lot of shots up, and by the time he was done you could see he had gotten better over that hour. Like I said, it was a big inspiration to me and Jeff." The Pandas Friend (formerly known as Metta World Peace who was formerly Ron Artest) He reported Thursday that he arrived at the gym early, early in the morning for a hard workout,but once inside, he discovered he wasn't alone. "3rd workout done. Let me tell why I LOVE KOBE JELLY BEAN BRYANT! I get to the gym at 6:45 am, the Black Mamba is there since 5:30! Go Lakers!!!" John Celestand “The first time I began to understand why he was the best was in the pre-season. In a game against the Wizards, Kobe broke the wrist on his shooting hand. He was always the first person to practice every day, arriving at least an hour and a half early. This would infuriate me because I wanted to be the first person to practice, just as I had always been at Villanova and Piscataway High in New Jersey. To add insult to injury, I lived only 10 minutes from the practice facility — while Kobe was at least 35 minutes away. “I am ashamed to say that I was excited the day after his injury because I knew that there was no way that No. 8 (as former Laker point guard Tyronn Lue called him) would be the first to practice, if he would even be there at all. “As I walked through the training room, I became stricken with fear when I heard a ball bouncing. No, no, it couldn’t be! Yes it could. Kobe was already in a full sweat with a cast on his right arm and dribbling and shooting with his left.” Laron Profit “You know it was so funny, my first experience when I was out in LA, me and Kwame Brown got traded to the Lakers [in Summer of 2005]. We were playing a pick-up game before the season started, we were playing 3-on-3, and it was game point. “Kobe had the ball and it came off, Kwame knocked the ball away from him. “Again [this was] a pick-up game, September, nothing on the line. And the ball rolled to half court. “Kobe then ran to half-court, dived under Kwame’s legs with the ball for about 10 feet, picked the ball up, came back down, made some incredible move, then hit the game-winning shot to end the pick-up game. “I walked off the court, and I called my mom, and I said, “I think I’ve just seen the second best player ever [behind Jordan].” “But then around him, you understand that nothing he does is by accident, that all this is a result of hours and hours and hours of preparation. So that when he gets into a situation in a game, in a playoffs game, in a Finals game, his confidence comes from his prepration. “He once told me at a halftime of a game, he was struggling, I think we were playing Seattle [Sonics] and he was struggling, and I asked him, “How do you feel?” and he said, “I feel great! The second half… the second half. Hey Prof, I work too hard. These shots HAVE to fall eventually because I’ve worked too hard, I’ve shot too many shots.” “So his belief in himself… when we look at it and see it as arrogance, some people see as may have too much confidence. It’s really just a result of how hard he works, of how much preparation time he puts in his game. That once he steps on the court, he really believes that he will be successful. And that’s what I think I took away from him more than anything else, it’s that your belief in yourself has to come from your confidence and your preparation. Chris Douglas-Roberts A lot of ppl wondered why Bean spoke so highly of me last yr. First day of camp Mike Brown tried to throw me in the fire right away. Made me & Bean 1 on 1 partners for the whole first practice. What Mike Brown didn’t know is that’s what I was waiting for. That whole day we went head up. At one point it d--- near came to blows bc Bean will do anything for an edge. So he was elbowing me on the low for separation & I couldn’t let that go as a competitor. As a man. The refs were too scared to call the foul bc he was intimidating them all practice. But at then end it was all love. The respect is mutual. Gave me some pointers that are priceless. It’s a misconception on Bean. Ppl think he’s a sucker…hard to play with. It’s just that he expects the most of his teammates bc he works so hard. Easily realist hooper I’ve met. He never lies and I respect that. #ClosestThingtoJordan #HeNeverSleepsEither#ImOut Robert (The USA Trainer) The night before the first scrimmage I remember I was just watched “Casablanca” for the first time and it was about 3:30 AM. I lay in bed, slowly fading away when I hear my cell ring. It was Kobe. I nervously picked up. “Hey, uhh Rob, I hope I’m not disturbing anything right?” “Uhh no, what’s up Kob?” “Just wondering if you could just help me out with some conditioning work, that’s all.” I checked my clock. 4:15 AM. “Yeah sure, I’ll see you in the facility in a bit.” It took me about twenty minutes to get my gear and out of the hotel. When I arrived and opened the room to the main practice floor I saw Kobe. Alone. He was drenched in sweat as if he had just taken a swim. It wasn’t even 5AM. We did some conditioning work for the next hour and fifteen minutes. Then we entered the weight room, where he would do a multitude of strength training exercises for the next 45 minutes. After that we parted ways and he went back to the practice floor to s---t. I went back to the hotel and crashed. Wow. I was expected to be at the floor again at about 11 AM. I woke up feeling sleepy, drowsy, and almost pretty much every side effect of sleep deprivation. Thanks, Kobe. I had a bagel and headed to the practice facility. This next part I remember very vividly. All the Team USA players were there, feeling good for the first scrimmage. LeBron was talking to Carmelo if I remember correctly and Coach Krzyzewski was trying to explain something to Kevin Durant. On the right side of the practice facility was Kobe by himself shooting jumpers. And this is how our next conversation went — I went over to him, patted him on the back and said, “Good work this morning.” “Huh?” “Like, the conditioning. Good work.” “Oh. Yeah, thanks Rob. I really appreciate it.” “So when did you finish?” “Finish what?” “Getting your shots up. What time did you leave the facility?” “Oh just now. I wanted 800 makes so yeah, just now.” My jaw dropped. Mother of holy God. It was then that I realized that there’s no surprise to why he’s been as effective as he was last season. Every story about his dedication, every quote that he’s said about hard work all came together and hit me like a train. It’s no surprise to me now that he’s dunking on players ten years younger than him and it wasn’t a surprise to me earlier this year when he led the league in scoring. Excerpt from Shaq Uncut "Kobe stands up and goes face-to-face with me and says, "You always said you're my big brother, you'd do anything for me, and then this Colorado thing happens and you never even called me." I did call him. ... So here we are now, and we find out he really was hurt that we didn't stand behind him. That was something new. I didn't think he gave a rat's a--- about us either way. "Well, I thought you'd publicly support me, at least," Kobe said. "You're supposed to be my friend." Brian Shaw chimed in with "Kobe, why would you think that? Shaq had all these parties and you never showed up for any of them. We invited you to dinner on the road and you didn't come. Shaq invited you to his wedding and you weren't there. Then you got married and didn't invite any of us. And now you are in the middle of this problem, this sensitive situation, and now you want all of us to step up for you. We don't even know you." ... Kobe Goes to the Movies (from Lee Jenkins/SI) Years ago, upon returning from the horror flick Saw II, Bryant described for Lakers trainer Gary Vitti a scene in which a victim awakens to find a contraption locked around his neck lined with nails pointed at his head. A videotape explains that the victim can unlock the device with a key, but it has been surgically implanted behind his right eye, and he can only extract it with a scalpel. He has a minute before it closes over his face and kills him. "I think I could get that key," Bryant said. SHAQ He was so young and so immature in some ways, but I can tell you this: everything Kobe is doing now, he told me all the way back then he was going to do it. We were sitting on the bus once and he told me, "I'm going to be the number one scorer for the Lakers, I'm going to win five or six championships, and I'm going to be the best player in the game." I was like, "Okay, whatever." Then he looked me right in the eye and said, "I'm going to be the Will Smith of the NBA." Kobe is a scientific dawg. He works out every day, practices every day. Most of the other stars are just dawgs, not scientific dawgs. Me, I’m a freak-of-nature dawg because of my size. LeBron could be a scientific dawg like Kobe, but he’s not, he's got a lot going on like I did, so that’s preventing him from being one. The Pandas Friend What are your thoughts on Kobe? I thought you'd never ask. We'll be on the plane, playing cards. Kobe will walk up, stop the game and say, "Ron, come to the back of the plane." Then, he'll show me some tape and say, "Look at this. Here's what you need to do." I'll go back to my seat, and then he'll walk up to Shannon Brown, stop the card game and do the same thing. And it doesn't matter if you're sleeping. He'll wake you up and show you things you've never thought about. He puts so much time and passion into the game. I have no problem following somebody who's worth being followed, who works as hard as me. I will follow Kobe anywhere.
Nov 29, 2015 One time for Kobe Bean My heart can take the pounding My mind can handle the grind But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye
Nov 29, 2015 I didn't know their needed to be an official announcement. Anyways Jeter's site seems to be the new place for the stars to announce their retirement. David Ortiz just announced 2016 would be his last year on there as well.
Nov 29, 2015 Yeah I think it's a nice outlet for players to get their message across in a little bit more of a personal way. He wanted to see if he could play well, it's the only reason he kept the possibility of returning open. Edit @redsoxx They mentioned on SC that Kobe actually invested in the website not too long ago.
Nov 29, 2015 Kind of weird for Kobe to have that "giving up" mentality... Anyways, h--- of a career. Easily top 10, maybe top 5 ever to play. Pleasure to see him play. Gonna be a weird league without Kobe, but it's time. Wish he coulda had the proper going away gesture in Miami. Might have to see him play in Minnesota, Chicago, or Milwaukee this year now.
Nov 29, 2015 Spoiler: Compilation of Klassic Kobe Stories Kobe Bryant and the 40-mile bike ride Interesting tidbit from an article on the Clippers’ Blake Griffin, by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne: Blake Griffin needs to know if the story is true. Ever since he first heard it last July, he’s been obsessed with it. "The first night we all got into Las Vegas last summer for the USA Basketball camp, I heard Kobe went on some 40-mile bike ride at night through the desert," Griffin says. "Forty miles? At night? You think it’s true?" Before I can answer, Griffin continues: "When I found out about that bike ride, I was so tempted to ask him if I could go next time." This is my favorite part about Kobe: you assume this story is true. Forty miles in the desert? You don’t even question it. …in this moment, all Griffin wants to talk about is whether or not Kobe Bryant really got on a bike and rode 40 miles through the desert last July. "I love that stuff," Griffin says. "I love all those stories." The story Griffin heard turns out to be true. And it goes something like this: Bryant told his longtime trainer, Tim Grover, that he wanted to add in bike training to his summer conditioning. Grover researched a trail in Las Vegas, rented three bikes — one for Bryant, one for himself and one for Bryant’s security guard — and on the night before the first day of practice, they each put on headlamps and headed out to the trail and rode. "We finished up around 2 a.m." Grover said. "And we were back in the gym working out by 7:30 in the morning." And that’s just it. To Blake Griffin, and most of the NBA, these are just stories. To Kobe Bryant, that’s a Tuesday night. He decided to lose 16 lbs for the Olympics in 2012 Kobe has never been out of shape, but he decided to change himself as a precautionary measure. He told the Guardian: "With summer basketball leading directly into the season — and I'm expecting to play until next June — I have to take some load off my knees. I've got to shave some of this weight." He'd make high school teammates play one-on-one games to 100 Kobe played a bench warmer to 100 multiple times when he was in high school. In Kobe's worst game, he still won 100-12. He used to practice by himself without a ball, says Shaq Shaq wrote in his book: "You'd walk in there and he'd be cutting and grunting and motioning like he was dribbling and shooting — except there was no ball. I thought it was weird, but I'm pretty sure it helped him." He goes through super intense workouts on game days From ESPN's Rick Reilly: "Among a dozen other drills, Bryant does suicide push-ups. At the top of the pushup, he launches himself off the mat so hard that both his feet come off the ground and his hands slap his pecs. He does three sets of seven of these. This makes me turn away and whimper softly." He watches film of himself at halftime According to ESPN's Jackie McMullen in 2010: "He often corrals teammates, fires up the laptop, and shows them precisely how they can carve out easier shots for themselves." Caron Butler Caron Butler says he's grateful he spent a year in Los Angeles as Kobe Bryant's teammate and work out partner. "I say that's the best thing that ever could have happened for me personally for my career," Butler said. "To play alongside a guy like that, see his preparation, see what it takes to get to that level, that's why I was able to be so good in Washington because I took everything I learned from him under his wing." Butler played in 77 games in 2004-05 with the Lakers. He averaged a then career-high (by a tick) 15.5 points and then career-high 5.8 rebounds. His free throw shooting improved, too. "Work ethic," Butler said. "He comes to the gym 6:30, 7 in the morning, gets shots every day, a rhythm. Afterward hits the weight room, works out in the summer, studying film, critiquing guys, watching their tendencies, picking things up ... Just studying the game with him taught me a lot." Butler and Bryant talk every couple of weeks, and when Butler was traded to Dallas, Bryant was quick with a call. "He told me he was happy for me and happy to see me in a situation to be able to legitimately compete for a title," Butler said. But Wednesday will be a different conversation. "You always hear that he's ready to compete," Butler said. "He's happy but at the same time once we get on the court all bets are off with Kobe. He's going to bring it, then hug me afterwards. That's how it is. It's business." Kevin Durant "We had the day off, but they said we could get some shots up if we wanted, so I decided to head over to the gym with [Oklahoma City teammate] Jeff Green. "Kobe [Bryant] was the only guy on the bus to the gym, and that spoke volumes to me -- he's the best player in the game, yet he's always willing to come work on his game, so that kind of motivated me and Jeff," Durant said. "He went by himself, he got a lot of shots up, and by the time he was done you could see he had gotten better over that hour. Like I said, it was a big inspiration to me and Jeff." The Pandas Friend (formerly known as Metta World Peace who was formerly Ron Artest) He reported Thursday that he arrived at the gym early, early in the morning for a hard workout,but once inside, he discovered he wasn't alone. "3rd workout done. Let me tell why I LOVE KOBE JELLY BEAN BRYANT! I get to the gym at 6:45 am, the Black Mamba is there since 5:30! Go Lakers!!!" John Celestand “The first time I began to understand why he was the best was in the pre-season. In a game against the Wizards, Kobe broke the wrist on his shooting hand. He was always the first person to practice every day, arriving at least an hour and a half early. This would infuriate me because I wanted to be the first person to practice, just as I had always been at Villanova and Piscataway High in New Jersey. To add insult to injury, I lived only 10 minutes from the practice facility — while Kobe was at least 35 minutes away. “I am ashamed to say that I was excited the day after his injury because I knew that there was no way that No. 8 (as former Laker point guard Tyronn Lue called him) would be the first to practice, if he would even be there at all. “As I walked through the training room, I became stricken with fear when I heard a ball bouncing. No, no, it couldn’t be! Yes it could. Kobe was already in a full sweat with a cast on his right arm and dribbling and shooting with his left.” Laron Profit “You know it was so funny, my first experience when I was out in LA, me and Kwame Brown got traded to the Lakers [in Summer of 2005]. We were playing a pick-up game before the season started, we were playing 3-on-3, and it was game point. “Kobe had the ball and it came off, Kwame knocked the ball away from him. “Again [this was] a pick-up game, September, nothing on the line. And the ball rolled to half court. “Kobe then ran to half-court, dived under Kwame’s legs with the ball for about 10 feet, picked the ball up, came back down, made some incredible move, then hit the game-winning shot to end the pick-up game. “I walked off the court, and I called my mom, and I said, “I think I’ve just seen the second best player ever [behind Jordan].” “But then around him, you understand that nothing he does is by accident, that all this is a result of hours and hours and hours of preparation. So that when he gets into a situation in a game, in a playoffs game, in a Finals game, his confidence comes from his prepration. “He once told me at a halftime of a game, he was struggling, I think we were playing Seattle [Sonics] and he was struggling, and I asked him, “How do you feel?” and he said, “I feel great! The second half… the second half. Hey Prof, I work too hard. These shots HAVE to fall eventually because I’ve worked too hard, I’ve shot too many shots.” “So his belief in himself… when we look at it and see it as arrogance, some people see as may have too much confidence. It’s really just a result of how hard he works, of how much preparation time he puts in his game. That once he steps on the court, he really believes that he will be successful. And that’s what I think I took away from him more than anything else, it’s that your belief in yourself has to come from your confidence and your preparation. Chris Douglas-Roberts A lot of ppl wondered why Bean spoke so highly of me last yr. First day of camp Mike Brown tried to throw me in the fire right away. Made me & Bean 1 on 1 partners for the whole first practice. What Mike Brown didn’t know is that’s what I was waiting for. That whole day we went head up. At one point it d--- near came to blows bc Bean will do anything for an edge. So he was elbowing me on the low for separation & I couldn’t let that go as a competitor. As a man. The refs were too scared to call the foul bc he was intimidating them all practice. But at then end it was all love. The respect is mutual. Gave me some pointers that are priceless. It’s a misconception on Bean. Ppl think he’s a sucker…hard to play with. It’s just that he expects the most of his teammates bc he works so hard. Easily realist hooper I’ve met. He never lies and I respect that. #ClosestThingtoJordan #HeNeverSleepsEither#ImOut Robert (The USA Trainer) The night before the first scrimmage I remember I was just watched “Casablanca” for the first time and it was about 3:30 AM. I lay in bed, slowly fading away when I hear my cell ring. It was Kobe. I nervously picked up. “Hey, uhh Rob, I hope I’m not disturbing anything right?” “Uhh no, what’s up Kob?” “Just wondering if you could just help me out with some conditioning work, that’s all.” I checked my clock. 4:15 AM. “Yeah sure, I’ll see you in the facility in a bit.” It took me about twenty minutes to get my gear and out of the hotel. When I arrived and opened the room to the main practice floor I saw Kobe. Alone. He was drenched in sweat as if he had just taken a swim. It wasn’t even 5AM. We did some conditioning work for the next hour and fifteen minutes. Then we entered the weight room, where he would do a multitude of strength training exercises for the next 45 minutes. After that we parted ways and he went back to the practice floor to s---t. I went back to the hotel and crashed. Wow. I was expected to be at the floor again at about 11 AM. I woke up feeling sleepy, drowsy, and almost pretty much every side effect of sleep deprivation. Thanks, Kobe. I had a bagel and headed to the practice facility. This next part I remember very vividly. All the Team USA players were there, feeling good for the first scrimmage. LeBron was talking to Carmelo if I remember correctly and Coach Krzyzewski was trying to explain something to Kevin Durant. On the right side of the practice facility was Kobe by himself shooting jumpers. And this is how our next conversation went — I went over to him, patted him on the back and said, “Good work this morning.” “Huh?” “Like, the conditioning. Good work.” “Oh. Yeah, thanks Rob. I really appreciate it.” “So when did you finish?” “Finish what?” “Getting your shots up. What time did you leave the facility?” “Oh just now. I wanted 800 makes so yeah, just now.” My jaw dropped. Mother of holy God. It was then that I realized that there’s no surprise to why he’s been as effective as he was last season. Every story about his dedication, every quote that he’s said about hard work all came together and hit me like a train. It’s no surprise to me now that he’s dunking on players ten years younger than him and it wasn’t a surprise to me earlier this year when he led the league in scoring. Excerpt from Shaq Uncut "Kobe stands up and goes face-to-face with me and says, "You always said you're my big brother, you'd do anything for me, and then this Colorado thing happens and you never even called me." I did call him. ... So here we are now, and we find out he really was hurt that we didn't stand behind him. That was something new. I didn't think he gave a rat's a--- about us either way. "Well, I thought you'd publicly support me, at least," Kobe said. "You're supposed to be my friend." Brian Shaw chimed in with "Kobe, why would you think that? Shaq had all these parties and you never showed up for any of them. We invited you to dinner on the road and you didn't come. Shaq invited you to his wedding and you weren't there. Then you got married and didn't invite any of us. And now you are in the middle of this problem, this sensitive situation, and now you want all of us to step up for you. We don't even know you." ... Kobe Goes to the Movies (from Lee Jenkins/SI) Years ago, upon returning from the horror flick Saw II, Bryant described for Lakers trainer Gary Vitti a scene in which a victim awakens to find a contraption locked around his neck lined with nails pointed at his head. A videotape explains that the victim can unlock the device with a key, but it has been surgically implanted behind his right eye, and he can only extract it with a scalpel. He has a minute before it closes over his face and kills him. "I think I could get that key," Bryant said. SHAQ He was so young and so immature in some ways, but I can tell you this: everything Kobe is doing now, he told me all the way back then he was going to do it. We were sitting on the bus once and he told me, "I'm going to be the number one scorer for the Lakers, I'm going to win five or six championships, and I'm going to be the best player in the game." I was like, "Okay, whatever." Then he looked me right in the eye and said, "I'm going to be the Will Smith of the NBA." Kobe is a scientific dawg. He works out every day, practices every day. Most of the other stars are just dawgs, not scientific dawgs. Me, I’m a freak-of-nature dawg because of my size. LeBron could be a scientific dawg like Kobe, but he’s not, he's got a lot going on like I did, so that’s preventing him from being one. The Pandas Friend What are your thoughts on Kobe? I thought you'd never ask. We'll be on the plane, playing cards. Kobe will walk up, stop the game and say, "Ron, come to the back of the plane." Then, he'll show me some tape and say, "Look at this. Here's what you need to do." I'll go back to my seat, and then he'll walk up to Shannon Brown, stop the card game and do the same thing. And it doesn't matter if you're sleeping. He'll wake you up and show you things you've never thought about. He puts so much time and passion into the game. I have no problem following somebody who's worth being followed, who works as hard as me. I will follow Kobe anywhere.
Nov 29, 2015 I was always a Kobe hater growing up, but it wasn't until later in his career where I understood that Kobe wasn't here to be liked or be the fan favorite, he came to win. His passion won me over and that's why I have so much respect for him. His love for the game was unmatched and he was a true student of the game. We all knew this day was going to come but d---.. End of an Era
Nov 29, 2015 Hopefully Duncan, KG, Pierce, VC, and Ray Allen all officially retire so they can go into the hall together.
Nov 29, 2015 Kings Never Die Been a Kobe fan since I was 6. Will be blessed to see him play live this year finally! Will enjoy every bit of it!
Nov 29, 2015 Can't believe some of these players are still playing, then again can't believe how fast time flies. Remember watching the 09' playoffs when KG, Pierce, and Allen faced the Bulls in that first round. Probably best series I remember watching, made me fall in love with the NBA. Five out of the seven games were within 3 points and a total of 7 overtimes...crazy. Use to love the celtics.
Nov 29, 2015 Basketball will never be the same to me again. In his prime he's the best offensive player I've ever seen, his work ethic and killer instinct are 2 things that should not be ignored cuz to me that (and his rings) are what separates him most from other elite or star players. When it's all said and done I'll probably type out a huge post sometime about my favorite Kobe memories and moments and what watching his career has meant and done for me, but I'm not ready to do that yet lol. I'm considering flying to LA for the last game of the year but I'm worried about a potential injury before that. But jesus can you imagine the ovation he'd get at Staples for his very last game there and the moment he's taken out of the game at the end? Gonna say there's about a 100% chance I'd be all teary eyed at that point...
