Sunday, November 29, 2015

'The Black Mamba' Retires

It's sad to hear that Kobe Bryant, also known as 'The Black Mamba', is retiring after the 2015-2016 NBA season. Bryant is someone who I grew up watching and for the generation and area I grew up in, he, not Michael Jordan, is the greatest player we could have watched. How most people will react to that comment:

But as weird as it is to say, it's true. I began watching basketball in 2002, coincidentally the same year that Kobe and Shaq led the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA championship. At this point, even with all the highlights and statistics that surrounded Michael Jordan, I got to witness Kobe perform magic day in and day out. A literal reaction of every play Kobe made:

Michael Jordan will forever be a face in basketball as one of the most elite players and by his highlight real alone, it is something that gives me the same reaction. However, there is a certain aesthetic to watching a game at night on January 22, 2006 where a player scores 81 points. After witnessing that, you really can't question greatness. Arguments will go on and people will highlight different stat lines to show which player is better, but regardless both players just played at unbelievable heights that will remain immeasurable.
Even with all the bad publicity that Kobe gets for his off-court actions, his play on the court will never be questioned. He is having one, if not the, worst season of his career and has came to the decision of retiring at the end of this season. It was a foreseen event, but not many predicted that he would retire with so much grace and dignity.
Regardless of what people say, Kobe was one of the best to play the game and will go down as possibly the elite Laker to have ever played. Here is a highlight reel of Kobe's greatness (the video's a little old, but still relevant):

As always, if you want to be the real MVP like The Black Mamba and follow me on social media, all the links are down below and I hope you have a game-winning day. Or night. Whichever works for you.
Twitter: @camayuga
Instagram: @christophermayuga
Facebook: Christopher Allen Mayuga
LinkedIn: Christopher Mayuga

No comments:

Post a Comment