by: Lex Perry

Months have passed since the occurrence of the tragic incident that left the whole world in shock and disbelief. It’s hard to describe the feeling when we knew that Kobe will no longer play in the league, and even harder to accept that he will no longer step foot on earth. Up to this day, we’re still mourning and our hearts still break over the untimely passing of the other 8 people from the unthinkable tragedy which included his own daughter Gigi otherwise known as Mambacita.

Frankly speaking, we weren’t really huge fans of the Black Mamba. Heck, we even hated him. We didn’t grow up rooting for the Lakers so seeing him dominate in the basketball court was more of a frustration for us because well, we want our team to win. The thing is, when you’ve witnessed him play for 20 long and prosperous seasons and know that his greatness came about because it was backed by his relentless and unparalleled work ethic, how can you not have admiration and look up to the man?

Kobe has always been known as a phenomenal basketball player even before playing in the pros, he is without a doubt one of the greatest to ever play the game. I mean he’s already bagged noteworthy milestones, surpassing other greats like Wilt Chamberlain and Lionel Simmons as the all-time leading scorer back when he was in high school playing for Lower Merion and during the time, he was only the sixth player in NBA history to turn pro after graduating from high school.

Perhaps that would’ve been enough to say that you’ve already achieved a lot, but we all know that he’s done and achieved much more than that, and I guess that’s what makes him a global icon. He never settles for anything less, and even when faced with tough situations, he finds a way to rise above each and every challenge thrown at him. Remember that time when he was still hitting those free throws even with a torn achilles? The list goes on and on and on and on, and it’ll take me forever to name each and every wow moment.

He wasn’t all talk and by now, you must’ve been informed and/or reminded by his greatness – Greatness that goes beyond the basketball court as he has also proven himself to be more than being an excellent hooper. There are bigger things than basketball, and one of which is family. We view him as a role model even after he’s hung his jersey because he knows how to value people around him, and give them importance.

With everything that’s happened, we can say that it is still but a life well lived. He never took anything for granted and he always gave his best, a kind of mentality and spirit that all people can learn from. He was a living legend, and we continued to learn many great things from him even when he retired. His love for the sport is immeasurable provided that up to his final breath, basketball was in his mind. We have our own sentiments to share about him, and it’s nothing but positivity.

I don’t really know how one can get over the fact of what and how things happened and of course, it’s never simple to take in the departure of someone who’s made a great impact to you. It’ll dishearten you, or disturb you to say the least. But gathering all the insightful lessons and realizations we got from him, and wanting to instil and apply the essence of the #MambaMentality in our own lives, instead of sacrificing time to dwell on this loss, it makes us wonder... What would Kobe do?