Goodbye, Kobe.

Dear Basketball

Kobe Bryant will hang his basketball hat at the end of this NBA season, 2015-16. I was never a fan of his, or the Lakers for that matter. He always stroke me as arrogant, and for some reason I always resisted the hype and glitz surrounding everything about Lakers' ball. However, as a basketball fan you can't deny basketball greatness when you see it, and Kobe Bryant is and will always be basketball greatness.

I remember having the privilege of going to see the Lakers at the Staples Center, maybe 9 or 10 years ago while living just outside Los Angeles. I don't remember against whom they played that night. I don't even remember if they won the game, but I do remember one thing and that is how Kobe Bryant played the game. Kobe's game was so stratospherically above everyone else on the court regardless of the team. It was truly impressive to see how much he stood out as a player.

Shaquille O'Neal had left for Miami by then and the Lakers seemed to be having a particularly non-remarkable season so far. Yet, the Staples Center was packed. Of course, Laker fans have always been hardcore, but having Kobe as part of the Laker history and legacy (by then Kobe and Shaq had already won three championships back to back to back) was a huge draw for the city and made every single Los Angeles Lakers fan the embodiment of loyalty even more.

Los Angeles will never forget Kobe because he was loyal to them as well. A Laker lifer and that has made the ride special. Basketball will never forget Kobe because he was a gift to the game in the same vein that, yes, Michael Jordan was a gift to the game. Sports fans in general will never forget Kobe because of his commitment and passion as a player, for his knowledge and poise, his style and his drive from the toss up to the last second of every game. Above all, because of his love of the game of basketball. No one will dare to question that Kobe Bryant was born to play. Basketball fans all over the world are grateful for that. So thank you Kobe Bryant for gifting us with some of basketball's greatest moments in the last 20 years. I hope the rest of the season is rewarding for the Lakers, but especially for you. You deserve it.