Thank you Kobe.

It was just another Monday morning (Singapore Time) or so I thought. I woke up to multiple notifications on my phone. Not just from Bleacher Reporter, NBA official APP, Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp but almost every other possible app I have installed. The news of the retirement of THE Kobe Bryant. The news hit us almost like a death of a super star. (nah, still alive.)

It's one of those things that we see it coming sooner or later with his final year contract up with the Lakers and also how his performance was like for the past few games, but yet it ain't all that easy to accept it from the Mamba himself. As a Lakers fan and a Kobe fan we were disgusted by the performance from an individual as well as from the team. This is how it is, we don't discount Kobe's for his contribution to the NBA as well as to the Purple and Gold for the good twenty years but neither can we be delusion and say that he is still at his peak. All said and done, it is sad to see him go down that road.

It's almost like deja vu like how we saw Olajuwan struggled at Raptors, Ewing at Magic or even Malone at the Lakers. Nobody wants to remember the downfall of their favourite superstar. Just like how I never really register Penny Hardaway's stay at Heat or Phoenix. It is painful to see your favorite players being bullied by the lesser players. It sucks.

Kobe will always be Kobe. Kobe is not just a player to us. Kobe is a spirit. A fighting spirit, a never say died attitude.

We said things. No doubt. Even as fans I've said things. I hope he be the bigger player who can adapt his play to make the team better and not play as selfish as he was doing. But that is Kobe. The alpha dog spirit. How he will always put responsibility on him to make things better when the team is down. However, you can't beat mother time. You can't just turn the clock back just like that right?

Regardless how bad these last few seasons had been, Kobe will always be Kobe. He will be someone we will remember for a long time. (P.S. Yup, he didn't beat Jordan's 6 rings or overtake the scoring title from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Almost 6,000 points shy. 

Thank You Kobe. Thank you for everything. Thank you for all those adrenaline you given us in front of the TV. Your legacy will be forever. 

Here one from my brud, @mambadt! 

I will leave you guys here with Kobe's announcement which could be found on The players' tribune.


Dear Basketball,

From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:
I fell in love with you.

A love so deep
I gave you my all —
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.

As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.

And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.

I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.

You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have. 

And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

Love you always,
Kobe