Yash Padhye is a freshman journalism major and writes "Yash.0" for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Yash at ykpadhye@bsu.edu.
Kobe Bryant left the NBA just as he had entered it. A big smile crossed his face as he waved to the Staples Center crowd one last time. Twenty years, 18 All-Star game appearances and five championship rings later, Kobe bid his final goodbye. In my opinion, there will never be anyone like Kobe. He changed the game of basketball forever and was a public figure I looked up to.
I knew that one day Kobe would retire, but time really flew by. It feels as if it was just yesterday that I was watching him drop a record 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, which was dubbed the greatest single-game performance in modern NBA history. And it seems like just yesterday when I was weeping after Kobe and the Lakers fell to the Detroit Pistons in game five of the 2004 NBA Finals.
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I still remember watching Bryant in his number eight purple and gold Lakers jersey and the days back when he had an afro. He may not have known it then, but Kobe left an indelible mark on the game of basketball. The best part is that he did it all while staying with the same team. It’s not common for a player to stay with one team for so long, and Kobe’s strength on the court, if you ask me, was his ability to communicate with his teammates. Having lived in Italy, his ability to speak multiple languages allowed him to communicate with players who didn’t speak English very well, like Pau Gasol.
Gasol was traded to the Lakers in 2008 from the Memphis Grizzlies and Kobe communicated with him mostly, if not only, in Spanish. They formed a bond, much like the one Kobe tried to form with Shaq years earlier. By collaborating with others, Kobe was able to figure out his own strengths and weaknesses in his early years, which helped him succeed later in his career.
Kobe Bryant did more than just play for the Los Angeles Lakers. He changed the culture in and around LA and the NBA. His impact on the NBA will never be forgotten, but just like everyone else in the world, it’s like the Powerade commercial says, “We’re all just a kid from somewhere.” He was just a kid from Philadelphia, but he left a lasting legacy.
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