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Writer's pictureNBA DAB

We Yelled Your Name While Shooting Paper Balls Into Trash Cans, Goodbye Black Mamba



Dear Kobe Bean Bryant,


You were the reason why I started watching basketball. You were the Michael Jordan of our generation. To believe in yourself and your team even when the rest of the world gave up on you, to think that you could do anything and be great at it, to hold your head high in losses and in win, you taught me all those things.



Your passion to succeed at everything that you do was as unusual and as rare as your name. I have seen you lift the NBA championship, I have seen you hold your knee and cry. I have seen you on the sidelines, wrapped up in ice, from head to toe. I have seen your retire as the greatest entertainer on the court.


You were built different. Tougher than the rest, angrier than the rest, stronger than the rest. As a professional athlete, your journey has been a roller coaster ride. You have seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. But those who loved you, loved you all the same.


You were not the perfect human being. You have had your fair share of mistakes in life and you made amendments, you fixed them and I think that’s special. Not a lot of people have the courage to look back and own up to their personal issues like you did and work on them. That’s Mamba Mentality, I guess.


You gave your heart and soul to just one team for 20 years and the city reciprocated. The day you wore purple and gold for the last time, the day “that motherf*ck dropped 60,” as Shaquille O’Neal described it, you became a god.

I’d watch how you used to bring your daughter Gianna, may God rest her soul, to the games in your days of retirement. You looked happy. You looked content. You thought that your daughter would take your legacy forward so did the rest of us.

“Kooobeeeeee,” you made us shout your name as loud as possible while we tried to shoot paper balls into trash cans. I never realised how much you became a part of my life. When I woke up this morning and checked my phone, only to find that we will never see any more of you, all those memories came back gushing in.

It feel surreal to think that you are gone. After 20 years of sacrificing your body, it was time for you to sit back, grow old and watch your daughters create greatness all over again. Instead, you were taken away from us. I guess, life isn’t fair after all.


Well, here’s bidding adieu Black Mamba. Hope you challenge the man above to a game to 24 and win.

3 Comments


freemankathleen25
Feb 04, 2020

I really never knew kobe or gianna hearing the sad upseting news that they died and left my broke my heart into pieces i wish i watched you over the last 20 years hearing about you dieing and your daughter and her friends and coach and family sometimes i wish people never die they just live forever but its not like that people come and go but legends never die thank you for these amazing basketball skills and thanks for being a hero to so many people you touched my heart alot and for that i hope your legacy lives forever mamba out rest in peace kobe and gianna and the 7 other people that left #kobe4life #gigi4life 💜💜💜💛💛💛💛💛💛💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛💜💛💛💜🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏀🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

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dazhnayn
Jan 31, 2020

Kobe you will most definitely be missed we always yelled your name while shooting paperballs into the trash you was the main reason I started watching and playing basketball #24 #RipKobe #2 #RipGiGi

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jbouck35
Jan 30, 2020

Dear Kobe Bryant,

You the reason I started playing basket you were my favorite player you were also the reason my basket ball number and my luck number is 24 you are and always will be my favorite basketball player R.I.P #24

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