April the 13th, 2016 is no longer just a date – it is International Mamba Day!
On this day, Kobe Bryant from the LA Lakers bowed out of the game after enjoying an incredible NBA career of 20 years!
Twenty years in the NBA! Very few people achieve that, let alone stay relevant for that long. Often players get drafted from their various college basketball teams, play for about eight years, four of which they are in their prime, and the last four searching for any team that will have them.
This hasn’t been Kobe’s story.
Kobe is also known as Mamba, a nickname he gave himself after watching Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, in which the snake, known for its agility and aggressiveness, was used as a code name for a deadly assassin.
Instead of heading to college after being discovered as a high school player, Mamba announced – at the age of 17 – that was taking his talent straight to the NBA.
You can imagine the pressure: a 17-year-old, in the world’s most competitive basketball league, cocky enough to bypass college deals and scholarships and opting to challenge the “men” who dominated the game at the time.
Thank God it paid off.
At 21 years old, Mamba had already been drafted into the NBA Hall of Fame – something players dream of and wait many years to achieve, if at all.
Apart from the incredible records broken, points scored, and game time clocked, Kobe’s greatest achievement – in my view – was his ability to get up from the most severe injuries.
Bryant has survived some of the most gruesome injuries, which have ended the careers of many players during his time. Someone was kind enough to put together a list of his 22 injuries in his career: In 20 years, he has fractured his knees, torn his Achilles’ tendon, strained his hip flexor, undergone knee surgery, and sprained his shoulder, amongst many other things.
Watching him over the years, I have admired how while many would say, “this will be the one to end his career,” Kobe has kept calm, taken time out, and worked to get back up every, single, time!
In 20 years, his career has been a masterclass in longevity.
While the highs are great, the winning is fantastic, and the accolades flow, it is also good to endure the tough, low moments and stick at it.
Mamba made reference to this in his final address to his home crowd.
After putting 60 points on the board (he has done it seven times in his career), Mamba gave an emotional farewell to a packed house, with multiple celebrities sitting courtside to honour the legend.
For 20 years all I have known is an NBA with Kobe Bryant and I am sure this is true for many of you out there. It will be strange to talk about basketball and not mention his name in the same breath.
He has been a great example of what it means to be an ambassador of the game.
Apart from all his records, I think people will miss Mamba, the gentleman.
Players, fans and celebrities have spent the last 72 hours pouring in tributes via social media.
I hope youngsters like me can take great lessons on what it means to endure in order to obtain the prize.
Thank you for the entertainment – thank you, Mamba.
Farewell.
Watch the highlights and farewell speech for Mamba’s last game below: