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15 April 2017

#ThankYouKobe, 1 Year Later

04/14/2017 04:09:44 AM

It's been barely 367 days since we have seen this guy last played in an NBA game. And what a monumental game to finish – 60 points to put Kobe Bryant into one of the top scorers ever in the NBA.



Talk about ending a career with a bang, right? Especially in the last stretch of the game where everything, though dramatic, turned out be an entertaining kind of farewell.

But that's just it. Aside from dropping buckets from any-elsewhere, it seems the NBA has been moving on to new chapters and heights. Apart from thwarting a most regular season wins (by Golden State Warriors) and an historic first championship win (Cleveland Cavaliers), the name of Jelly Joe's son has been the most resounding one for the 2015-2016 NBA season. 

And why not?

The guy has been one of the most colorful personalities to grace the game – and we mean on and off the court. A then-high school stalwart has become a draft pick from the now-legends-studded 1996 NBA Draft (and probably the Charlotte Hornets just became the losers of the Vlade Divac trade). From being number 8 to 24; from being a ball-hogger to a team-player; we have seen changes of attitudes – thus, a sign of maturity. 

We have been witnesses on his variety of events – the times of triumphant in the summit and on the losing end of pitfalls. The times of humiliation from a big-named 2004 season that saw him – along with Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, and Karl Malone – failed to win an NBA title to then-underdogs Detroit Pistons; to the controversial rape case. For his five world championship seasons and a number of being the locker room leader; a string of high-scoring games and overcoming injuries. 

This may be quite too late and managed to put this one for a bit of flashback. And I'm not a fan of Bryant, but after being a cult-follower of the world's biggest basketball show during the mid-2000s, I have seen the glimpse of how he changed himself in the game – and the impact among others. That said, I won't be surprised if his induction to the Basketball Hall Of Fame takes centerstage in almost no time.

And probably, the 2000s NBA wouldn't be complete without The Black Mamba. Definitely.

Author: slickmaster | © 2017 september twenty-eight productions

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