It's been almost a year since I last posted an article on here. I'm not sure why it's taken so long. I keep meaning to and always find an excuse not to. Yes I've been busy and have other priorities but I think if I really wanted to write something I would have. In that time I've changed jobs and been banned on Twitter. Perhaps I've simply prioritised family and spending more time with them. However this week I've been motivated and inspired to write something down. I've needed to in order to offload my feelings and emotions. This is my tribute to Kobe and his daughter Gianna.
Last Sunday evening when I heard the news that Kobe Bryant had died I was shocked and upset. I don’t know the man, have never met him, however his influence on me as a young sports fanatic from the mid-90’s to the present day, has been great. This has been arguably the most influential sportsman of his generation. Along with Alan Iverson these men set the tone and excited fans of basketball and sport with their skill, quality and intensity.
Before LeBron James, Kobe was the face of the NBA, following on from Jordan. The significance of his role as a great player and a role model has seen him develop, grow and mature. We saw a selfish, difficult individual develop into a leader and a team player. His quality was never in doubt but perhaps his mentality was a concern. However his dedication, drive and determination to be the best, meant that his mentality alienated many of his peers. But as he got older (after some issues off the court perhaps matured him) he started to appreciate his role within society as a whole, he began to appreciate and embrace his status.
Kobe set the tone and bar with his mentality and determination. He inspired, motivated and ignited the passion of basketball in many young kids. The majority of the NBA today grew up idolising Kobe. That’s why we’ve seen such an overwhelming outpouring of emotion, sadness and appreciation for a man who inspired so many.
Working with young footballers as a coach and trying to instil the right values, mentality and drive into them takes work, time and patience. There are few better role models to educate young athletes than Kobe. He set the bar in terms of his dedication and drive, he did more and practiced harder than his peers. He didn’t just talk a good game, he lived it. He made Mamba Mentality a lifestyle choice and dedicated his life to being great.
How many talk a good game and yet fail to back it up? How many procrastinate, make excuses, find other reasons not to do the extra work. It’s a neglect of striving to be the best. So I say to these kids, don’t tell me you want to the be best but keep making excuses as to why you don’t and can’t do more. Stop blaming others on why you can’t practice extra or watch your games back and learn. It’s all a choice.
Kobe showed and proved what true dedication to your craft is all about. He was relentless in his pursuit of greatness. He didn’t let failure knock him down, he kept going, working even harder to improve areas of his game, he worked on his failures to become successes. It’s not rocket science but it does take a true passion and drive, which many kids today seem to lack. Perhaps they don’t want to work hard enough and make excuses, perhaps they have too much already or perhaps they are afraid, afraid of doing it all and still not making it.
Easier to fail without working hard and having the excuse to fall back on. Easier to hang out with mates and your girlfriend, binge watch Neflix or play FIFA than go outside and run or practice your skills. Or go to the gym and get stronger, more powerful and fitter. An excuses culture blames others for their own failings but Kobe’s a lesson to look at yourself and make a choice. It can be a lonely choice. And that in itself is a lesson on dedication and sacrifice. Do you want to be out on your own when others are having ‘fun’, do you want to miss out on ‘fun’ days when instead you’re working? But as Kobe says, this was never work, this was his love, his passion, his life.
It was hard, but he wasn’t fighting against something he hated, he was doing what he loved. How many young players have this love for football? This passion for the game. A passion which means they go out day after day and seek to get better, seek to become the best? Do coaches take the passion and love away? Is a culture built on ‘coach is king’ a problem? Are we in our pursuit to help these kids actually putting out the light of passion and love?
Kobe was an inspiration, a true winner, a dedicated individual who went above and beyond to achieve his dreams and be the best. He didn’t pay lip service to mantras and philosophies, no, he lived his life to its fullest in the pursuit of greatness. And in his retirement from basketball he continued his success off the court too, winning an Oscar for a short film he made. He continued to be relentless in his pursuit of success – in everything he did. And man I love him for that!
I didn’t know Kobe, but man he was an inspiration to me. He was the greatest of my youth, of my generation. Before my time it was Ali, Jordan, Maradona. Today it’s Lebron, Messi and Ronaldo – as the greats and inspirers of the sporting world – but for me Kobe Bryant has been synonymous with greatness. And as I’ve grown and learnt more, Kobe’s life lessons have become more important and more significant.
Unfortunately in passing a persons life is magnified and respected more than when alive. This week has been an emotional one for all who love sport – a true great has passed. And the sentiment passed on from around the world highlights just how special and important Kobe was in our culture. He has left too early but his messages can live on forever – I just hope that this new generation can be motivated by what Kobe believed and lived by. I know I will.
Before LeBron James, Kobe was the face of the NBA, following on from Jordan. The significance of his role as a great player and a role model has seen him develop, grow and mature. We saw a selfish, difficult individual develop into a leader and a team player. His quality was never in doubt but perhaps his mentality was a concern. However his dedication, drive and determination to be the best, meant that his mentality alienated many of his peers. But as he got older (after some issues off the court perhaps matured him) he started to appreciate his role within society as a whole, he began to appreciate and embrace his status.
Kobe set the tone and bar with his mentality and determination. He inspired, motivated and ignited the passion of basketball in many young kids. The majority of the NBA today grew up idolising Kobe. That’s why we’ve seen such an overwhelming outpouring of emotion, sadness and appreciation for a man who inspired so many.
Working with young footballers as a coach and trying to instil the right values, mentality and drive into them takes work, time and patience. There are few better role models to educate young athletes than Kobe. He set the bar in terms of his dedication and drive, he did more and practiced harder than his peers. He didn’t just talk a good game, he lived it. He made Mamba Mentality a lifestyle choice and dedicated his life to being great.
How many talk a good game and yet fail to back it up? How many procrastinate, make excuses, find other reasons not to do the extra work. It’s a neglect of striving to be the best. So I say to these kids, don’t tell me you want to the be best but keep making excuses as to why you don’t and can’t do more. Stop blaming others on why you can’t practice extra or watch your games back and learn. It’s all a choice.
Kobe showed and proved what true dedication to your craft is all about. He was relentless in his pursuit of greatness. He didn’t let failure knock him down, he kept going, working even harder to improve areas of his game, he worked on his failures to become successes. It’s not rocket science but it does take a true passion and drive, which many kids today seem to lack. Perhaps they don’t want to work hard enough and make excuses, perhaps they have too much already or perhaps they are afraid, afraid of doing it all and still not making it.
Easier to fail without working hard and having the excuse to fall back on. Easier to hang out with mates and your girlfriend, binge watch Neflix or play FIFA than go outside and run or practice your skills. Or go to the gym and get stronger, more powerful and fitter. An excuses culture blames others for their own failings but Kobe’s a lesson to look at yourself and make a choice. It can be a lonely choice. And that in itself is a lesson on dedication and sacrifice. Do you want to be out on your own when others are having ‘fun’, do you want to miss out on ‘fun’ days when instead you’re working? But as Kobe says, this was never work, this was his love, his passion, his life.
It was hard, but he wasn’t fighting against something he hated, he was doing what he loved. How many young players have this love for football? This passion for the game. A passion which means they go out day after day and seek to get better, seek to become the best? Do coaches take the passion and love away? Is a culture built on ‘coach is king’ a problem? Are we in our pursuit to help these kids actually putting out the light of passion and love?
Kobe was an inspiration, a true winner, a dedicated individual who went above and beyond to achieve his dreams and be the best. He didn’t pay lip service to mantras and philosophies, no, he lived his life to its fullest in the pursuit of greatness. And in his retirement from basketball he continued his success off the court too, winning an Oscar for a short film he made. He continued to be relentless in his pursuit of success – in everything he did. And man I love him for that!
I didn’t know Kobe, but man he was an inspiration to me. He was the greatest of my youth, of my generation. Before my time it was Ali, Jordan, Maradona. Today it’s Lebron, Messi and Ronaldo – as the greats and inspirers of the sporting world – but for me Kobe Bryant has been synonymous with greatness. And as I’ve grown and learnt more, Kobe’s life lessons have become more important and more significant.
Unfortunately in passing a persons life is magnified and respected more than when alive. This week has been an emotional one for all who love sport – a true great has passed. And the sentiment passed on from around the world highlights just how special and important Kobe was in our culture. He has left too early but his messages can live on forever – I just hope that this new generation can be motivated by what Kobe believed and lived by. I know I will.
Can I also say how utterly sad it was to see Gianna pass away too. As a father of a young daughter the overwhelming feeling of sadness and greif I felt along with the loss of Kobe was hard. A girl who had a great future ahead of her, Kobe’s protégé. How devastating for her family. When you see and hear videos of Kobe talking about his daughter, how proud he is of her, how much potential he saw in her, man it makes you cry. We have such great hopes for our children, we want to provide them all the opportunity, love and protection we can as parents. We want to see them grow up and become whatever they want to be. We want to be there for them, support them and guide them. To lose a child so young is genuinely the most devastating thing which could happen. I held my daughter even closer on Sunday evening, kissed her goodnight and made sure she knew how much I loved her. Life is precious, and we must cherish it every day.
Thankyou Kobe, for everything you’ve taught me and all that you’ve inspired in me.
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