KOBE
KOBE
A Tribute.
artwork by: Miguel Angel Godoy
Kobe.
For many he’s just another basketball player, but for many more, like myself, he’s more than that. In many recent posts on social media, he’s their source of inspiration and I'm no different.
I can go on and on about the ‘96 draft and what that meant for my childhood and the NBA. I’m not gonna do that; ESPN already did that. For me, growing up, Kobe meant different things at different phases in my life: idol, hero, and inspiration - sometimes all three at the same time.
Being a 10 year old kid, I idolized him. I couldn’t grow a ‘fro, but I gelled my hair to make it look like one. I wore Lakers shorts every time I went out to play basketball at the local rec center. I even tried to copy his funky ass crossover. He was definitely my guy after MJ. From trying to gel my hair into a “fro” to practicing baseline one dribble pull up jumpers.
In high school, he was my hero. There were only two athletes I looked up to in high school: Ladainian Tomlinson from the (then) San Diego Chargers, and Kobe. I tried to catch all of the Lakers games and was just in awe anytime Kobe did something amazing - peak Kobe was something else, man. Kobe playing through injuries while winning championships with Shaq really made my years in high school special. Seeing his transformation from the NBA’s golden child to the infamous Black Mamba to me meant that you have to control what you can and separate it from what you can’t.
Now, as an adult, a husband, a father, aspiring entrepreneur, and aspiring photographer, Kobe’s interviews and motivational quotes mean more now than ever. How do I harness “Mamba Mentality” and apply it to my life? I’m not sure, but I'm going to try my best. Kobe’s impact on my life has always been huge, but non moresoe than when I decided to take my health seriously back in January of 2018 and stopped making excuses for myself. I’m proud of where I am now, but I’m not satisfied. If there’s anything I learned from Kobe, it’s: 1) Inspire those around you, and 2) Accept the challenge and find the beauty in the struggles.
24 Days Of Kobe 01.27.20 - 02.19.20
January 26th, 2020.
My wife and I were just finishing up a workout around 11:50am when my Apple watch started to buzz with notifications from multiple group chats. I took a quick peek.
“Kobe just died…”
My initial reaction was ‘What? No, that's bullshit’.
I couldn’t tell if my heart was racing because we just finished a good workout or if I was anxious to read confirmation reports. I couldn’t believe anything punkass TMZ says about anything these days. What was supposed to be a good Sunday spent with my family became a blur as more and more news outlets came out to confirm that not only was it Kobe, but also his 13 year old daughter, Gianna, and 7 other souls that were tragically taken from us.
Something inside of me felt compelled to do something to honor Kobe. An Instagram post wasn’t going to suffice; it had to include some sort of work on my part for it to be meaningful.
When we got home that Sunday night, I pulled all of my Kobe’s out the closet, took a picture of them on top of my Kobe jerseys and that's when I knew what I needed to do. To grieve my hero and to try my best to heal, I started the “24 days of Kobe” project. Not just wear a pair a day for 24 days, but do my best to put in work for at most 21 of the 24 days barring any obstacles. The challenge wasn’t “can I even go that many days in a row?” because I can, and I have; the challenge was “how much harder am I willing to push myself?”.
I logged just over 1,120 mins (18.5+ hours) of work on court for and worked out for a personal best 38 days in a row by the time I finished this project. It was hard work, but it’s the best way I could honor the man that’s inspired me for so many years and will continue to inspire me years to come.
Thank you, Kobe. We love you, We miss you.
