A sports reporter reflects on covering Kobe Bryant, from witnessing his 60-point game to his Achilles injury and death. He explores what made Kobe's dominance possible and how his loss changed basketball forever.
Chapters
No, yeah, but it's like I, I felt that drastic difference. But it's, it's, uh, it's incredible. I wouldn't give it up for anything, you know what I mean? Like, I just, I, I'd do it for free. I mean, I honestly would because I just love the, the team and I love the just being able to say I cover the NBA, you know? And then all the experience, all the experiences I've had, you know, the Kobe 60-point game, you know, it's mostly like, you know, covering Kobe, uh, and just going through that whole— because it was such an interesting time in his career, good and bad, right? Like, bad because, you know, the— after the Achilles, just, you know, kind of a slow decline, and his body just kind of failed him, right? And then, you know, the 60-point incredible performance— that was just— I've never covered anything like that before. I don't think I ever will again. Um, but it— seeing that, you know, and then going through, you know, his tragic death, which was awful, and, and seeing, you know, how that affected the entire community and and, and more so the world. I mean, it just, it was a huge loss for so many people, and you saw how important he was. But I, uh, it's a crazy thing, man. It's a crazy experience. I mean, that's why I say like you don't know what the hell is going to happen this summer because crazy stuff happens all the time. And like I told, I told people, like, the difference between the Lakers, which might keep them behind all these teams that are going a different way, is all these teams now that are very successful are building organically, right?