Who was Kobe?

« Mamba out ! »

On April 13th 2016, he dropped the mic and gave a kiss to the audience during his farewell speech for his last match as a professional basketball player who became legendary. Gone too soon and so brutally with his daughter Gianna, Kobe leaves a huge void in the hearts of those who admired him, those who were inspired in one way or another by his work ethic and everything that characterized him.

Who was Kobe?

Kobe Bryant was an American basketball player playing shooting guard. The Philadelphia native began his professional NBA career in 1996 with the Los Angeles Lakers. Over the seasons, Kobe Bryant has proved himself to be an outstanding player, capable of pulling off the greatest technical feats.

When you discover the NBA in the early 2000s, it's hard to miss Kobe. Bryant has become one of my star players. He wasn't the only one. Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Paul Pierce, Shaquille O'Neal, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett... that whole generation of players will forever remain a generation apart for me. But Kobe had a little something extra.

Loyal to the Lakers, the "Black Mamba" also boasted an impressive list of records and individual awards. In terms of statistics, Kobe Bryant scored 33,000 points in official competitions and gave 6,000 assists.

An irreproachable ethic of work

But the respect for Kobe also stems from the work ethic he demonstrated throughout his career. Bryant had an immense talent but more importantly, he worked like a guy from the end of the bench who was not sure he could keep his place in a roster.

There are a lot of talented players out there but players who are maximizing their full potential are much rarer. Kobe was that kind of guy, on a mission day after day, even when the others were just laying around or just chilling. Kobe was that kind of guy, who would do exactly the same shot for hours to master it. Kobe was a workaholic, for sure.

A tragic loss

We all have our memories about Kobe. But what makes this tragedy even more tragic is that we will never know what Bryant and his daughter Gianna could have become. Since his retirement from the public prosecutor's office, the Mamba had often smiled, he was at peace with himself. He had given his all in his NBA career and was ready for more challenges.

Today, there may be people in the general public who do not understand all this recent craze around Kobe, or even get tired of all these tributes when there are many other things that deserve as much or more attention. I am thinking in particular of people who are not necessarily close to the world of sport, or for whom sport is clearly a secondary aspect in society. It is difficult to blame them for this. I never met Kobe, I never saw Kobe with my own eyes, but he was part of my daily life in many different ways.

5-time NBA Champion, 2-time NBA Finals MVP, 2008 NBA MVP, 12-time NBA All-Star, 3-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, 2-time scoring champion, 12-time All-NBA selection, 10-time defensive selection. The career of Kobe “the Black Mamba” Bryant was full of achievement but

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