Dear Kobe

I’ve been watching basketball for a long time. I watch almost every Spurs game. I used to watch every game just shouting out commands at the TV, but ever since Twitter came around, I just basically gather around the figurative water cooler with all the other crazed Spurs fans to gripe about what’s wrong with our team. Quickly turning to my thumbs at every commercial break to fire away my meaningless criticisms. 

Yesterday was different though. Yesterday I got on Twitter the same way I always do during the commercial breaks, but it was to follow all the statements released by the basketball world following the sudden death of Kobe Bryant. I watched the game numb. I didn’t care if we won or lost. I didn’t care if Spurs players made mistakes. I didn’t care if the refs were making bad calls. I just wanted to watch my heroes. 

I’m 30 years old and first started really paying attention to Pop and the Spurs in the early 2000s. Pop, Timmy, Tony, Manu. Those are my heroes. And in every superhero story there has to be a villain. Kobe Bryant was that villain. At least he was when I was a kid. I used to hate watching him and the Lakers beat Timmy and the Spurs. But, as you grow older and watch people grow old with you, you realize these are human beings just like you. So, that love to hate Kobe turned into a love to respect Kobe. 

Yesterday, I watched Timmy rub tears from his eyes as the game started. It’s not every day you see one of your heroes crying. Kobe was a hero to so many, and heroes aren’t supposed to die. 

I’m well aware with how fragile life is. I’ve lost loved ones before, but usually death comes with warning. You have time to process it. You begin having the conversation in your mind that this might be the end for that person. The suddenness of this one is what makes it so tough. This wasn’t just a sports tragedy, it was a world tragedy. Normally, I use this blog to write about health and fitness related topics, but today I just don’t want to.

This one is for the heroes, legends, remembrance, and the appreciation of life.