What Kobe meant to me
Just like much of the rest of sports fans in the world, I was really shook by news of Kobe’s death. It was surreal and my first instinct was that this had to be some kind of hoax.
I never thought this day would come. Kobe seemed damn near invincible. The fact that he died at age 41 is incomprehensible. This is easily the most devastating death of our generation.
Like many in my age group, Kobe was a hero and inspiration. He was someone that we all wanted to be like when we were older. He inspired an entire generation of basketball players.
Possibly the worst part about everything was that his life was just getting started. His post basketball life was going to be just as great as his accomplishments on the court. He won an Oscar award just last year and has been huge in moving forward women’s basketball.
He’s going to be missed. He was my childhood hero and inspiration. Even though I was never close to becoming a professional athlete, I learned so much from Kobe in many ways. His life will continue to inspire mine for the rest of my life.
I wanted to write some thoughts on some lessons that I learned from Kobe.
Compete. Although he may have seemed like an asshole on the court, Kobe was one of the most competitive people on the planet. He competed in everything he did. We know what he did on the court, but stories of him off the court are just as crazy. He wanted to win and he won a lot. Life isn’t about winning or losing, but you need to understand that to be the best, you have to compete.
Inspire the next generation. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment in life is about inspiring others to also be great. Despite being one of the most competitive humans on the planet, he understood that his records would be broken by those that he inspired. In the end, it isn’t about records or winning for Kobe, it was ultimately the impact he had on others. We must continue to understand that our lives will be measured by the impact we have on others, not our own accomplishments.
Over prepare. Kobe’s greatest asset on the court wasn’t his natural athletic ability although he had a lot of that, but his intelligence for the game and his preparation. He knew the ins and outs for every player, every tendency of every team, and every referee on the court. He prepared, and then prepared more. There will always be someone smarter than you in the room, and you can never control that, but what you can control is how much more prepared you are.
Be a good father. Kobe’s genuine love for his children was well documented. I don’t need to write a paragraph on why this is important in life, but perhaps this was one of Kobe’s most underrated accomplishments.
I’m going to miss Kobe. The best thing I can do in my life is to do what Kobe would want: live his legacy through my actions.