Rockets Fall to Nuggets, 117-110, as Tragedy Hits the NBA World
Denver Devastation. Jordan’s Little Brother. Bigger Than the Game.
The Rockets lost to the Nuggets on Sunday afternoon, 117-110. James Harden didn’t play, Houston kept it close until late turnovers cost them the game. But it’s just a game. I’d usually write more about what this one means to the Rockets in the long run. To keep it short, Houston lost. Tomorrow night they’re going into Utah, potentially without both their superstars, to face the hottest team in the NBA, the Jazz. Instead of writing about a game that seemed to exist in a sort of fog of consciousness, I’m going to write about something no one saw coming. As the Rockets were warming up for their game in Denver, the world was shook with devastating news. On the way to his daughter Gianna’s basketball game, NBA Legend Kobe Bryant, and his daughter, among nine others were killed in a tragic helicopter crash around 2 PM CT on Sunday afternoon. Players began to find out slowly, and by the time the starting lineups had been announced in Denver, everyone had gotten the news. The atmosphere was different. Since Houston’s game was the first on Sunday, and immediately followed the heartbreaking announcement, the Nuggets held a moment of silence in honor of Bryant. Everyone was shocked. The game went on, but it was as if players were going through the motions. P.J. Tucker wrote “there will never be another” and “love you KB24” on his sneakers, after hearing of the news. Tyson Chandler, one of Kobe’s ex-teammates, weeped on the bench. The game was actually contested throughout, but some people are bigger than the game. Very few people, but some indeed, make to seem time stop. Kobe Bryant was one of those people. And it was evident that Kobe was on everyone’s mind. Including myself. For a moment, time did seem to stop. And, as I reflect on his life, I never realized how much of an inspiration Kobe truly was, to me. Bryant became a legendary NBA player and won an Oscar, my two childhood dreams. And one of those I’m never giving up. Kobe wouldn’t.
The “Black Mamba” was truly the last of a dying breed. Today’s NBA seems to full of goodie-two shoes, and everyone’s best friends off the court. That’s not the way it always was. Bryant brought the “I’ll rip your heart out on the court” ferocity at a level that only Michael Jordan possessed. An intense competitor, who’s obsession with winning and his craft, affected relationships with teammates. Kobe often found himself alone, in the prime of his career, as he teammates would go out at night, Bryant would be up at 5, ready to get better, improve his game. Or he would go out with you, but he’d be knocking at your door at 4:55, and you’d have to work out with him. Kobe was relentless, a natural born competitor.
I’ll never forget his last game, against the Rockets’ next opponent, the Jazz. He scored 60 points, and seemed to literally leave all the sweat and passion for the game on the floor that night. Exasperated by the end, it was a performance by a legend who’s had many iconic ones. But his final one will always stick with me. I never saw it coming, it was his last game, albeit a regular season game. I expected maybe 40 points at best, but 60 points, for Kobe to close out his career, was the perfect ending.
Michael Jordan called Kobe, his “little brother” after people worldwide reacted to the news on Sunday. And Bryant modeled his game after Jordan, and always sought him out for advice. he truly was, like a little brother. No one possessed Jordan’s killer instinct, and sheer will-to-win, on the same level, like Bryant. Kobe was obsessive. About winning. About being the best, A true champion. Sure, he had a divorce, and bumps in the road. He was a human, we all do. But he turned out to be a loving father, whose daughter Gianna was on the road to basketball stardom herself. Bryant also professed his love for storytelling, and won an Oscar the year after he retired for Best Short Film. The Black Mamba had so much to offer to the world, and at age 41, is gone far too soon. What he gave us, is more than most people ever will. They say legends never die. And Kobe will be remembered forever. I just never realized how much of an inspiration he was to me. Maybe it’s because his Lakers were frequently beating the Rockets, and in these instances, I didn’t root for him, or want to truly admit the greatness I saw. I’ve seen LeBron play his entire career, I got to witness the tail-end of Jordan’s but was so young I hardly remember. But Kobe? I remember starting to really follow the NBA as a youngster when he was drafted, back in 1996. I didn’t know it then, but Kobe was an inspiration. Bryant played every game unless he physically couldn’t, in the same vein as Harden. He laughed in the face of load management. his competitiveness was second-to-none. You may hear all these cliches, and think of just “another” great, gone too soon. But.. time will teach you, like it slowly taught me, Kobe Bryant is an inspiration to all us. To never give up. To shoot for your dreams. To make every second count. We’re all in this crazy battle of life, fighting together to make the world a better place. Bryant did that, and had the mantra of the ultimate competitor. Most importantly, we all make mistakes. But the way Kobe bounced back from relationship issues, evolved into the ultimate family man, and used his versatile creative spirit to become the first athlete to win an Oscar, is an inspiration to anyone who doubts themself. Kobe transcended the NBA, in a way very few players have. In my opinion, they all go by one name… first there was Bird, Magic, Jordan, Kobe, and now LeBron, who ironically passed Kobe for third on the NBA’s All-Time Scoring List, last night. Bryant congratulated him via social media late last night after LeBron’s victory in Philly, the town where Kobe went to high school, and first started to gain national prominence. I could go on and on about Bryant. If you don’t know much about Kobe, read up about the Black Mamba. I got to see him play for the vast majority of his career. I always knew he was an all-time great, but today made me realize the world lost a real superstar. I never truly appreciated the competitiveness, his Jordan-esque style, and the greatness he gave to basketball fans. And today I realized it’s true what they say… you never really know what you got ’til it’s gone.
R.I.P. The One and ONLY Black Mamba