Remembering Kobe Bryant On His Third-Year Death Anniversary: How The Black Mamba Changes My Life To This Day
On this day, there's a deep sadness within me when I think of Kobe Bryant in his final moments. But there is also admiration, respect, and love for all that I have learned from his incredible life and legacy.
Kobe Bryant's death hit me hard. I remember heading back from work and hearing the news of his passing over the radio, and the next thing I knew, my chest felt tight, and something inside me cracked.
Like many across the world, I didn't believe it, but the barrage of tweets all carrying the same news meant that the man I admired and considered to be a massive influence in my life was no more.
I cried. And as much of a shocker as it may seem, the last time I shed a tear was when I lost my father in 2011. It was a hollow, sinking feeling that I never wanted again, but Bryant's death brought it all back.
Kobe Bryant was a legend, an icon, a man who was focused, driven, committed, and relentless in his pursuit of excellence. And what he did was just... hard work. There was nothing rocket science about him. He was a man dedicated to his craft, and when I saw him play in 2008 (on TV, of course), I knew all I wanted was to be like Bryant.
I am not a basketball player. I play cricket, and in India, the nature of the sport is such that it's practically considered a religion. I play it professionally, and Bryant was an idol. The sport was different, but his approach was pretty much one size fits all for any athlete playing any sport, and the formula was simple and applicable to everyday life.
Such was his influence when I saw him play, and all I wanted was to be as successful as he was. Vague? Yes. But impossible? No. And ironically, my dad had something in common with him — they were both hard workers. Perhaps, the hardest in the room. And I wanted to be them.
Kobe Bryant's Approach To Life Was All About Being A Better Version Every Day
When you are a professional athlete, the challenges are beyond physical. Cricket may not be the same as basketball, but it has its own set of obstacles that can plunge you into self-doubt, and all it takes is one bad game for that to happen.
It did happen. There was a lean stretch in my cricket career where I felt I couldn't and wouldn't make it. What I enjoyed doing felt like an uphill task. 2015 was a bad year cricket-wise, and when things don't go well, fatigue and the fear of failure creep in. It did, and Bryant's words were a source of comfort.
His documentary, 'Kobe Bryant's Muse,' was released around that time, and I remember sitting glued to it. There was a segment where he spoke about failure and people skeptical about his return after his career-threatening Achilles injury in 2013.
"When we are saying this cannot be accomplished, this cannot be done, then we are short-changing ourselves. My brain, it cannot process failure. It will not process failure. Because if I have to sit there and face myself and tell myself, 'you are a failure,' I think that is almost worse than dying."
At first, it felt like he was probably hyping himself up, but he wasn't. This was a man consumed by his desire to be the best, and when you want to be the best, failure can be an experience but never an option.
That was perhaps all I needed to get back to full throttle. I'm not going to lie, I didn't turn my season around magically, but I did enough to get a nod to play the next year. I'll take that as a win.
Kobe Bryant Taught Me What It Is To Outwork Everyone
Let me make it perfectly clear. I am not a supreme athlete or an immensely talented one. I just love the sport and believed there was something I could make out of it. I did, and while my cricket career still continues to be a challenge — good one day, absolutely terrible the other, I know I can't and won't give up.
The Black Mamba's first teaching, perhaps, was perseverance. And that's a quality you're not born with. You develop it.
Digressing a wee bit, I could draw parallels between my dad and Bryant. The former wasn't an athlete, but his line of thinking was similar to the late Lakers legend. The mantra was simple: Outwork everyone, and success comes knocking. They were both weirdly wired, or as LeBron James put it famously during the 2020 season, they were "built different," and that's how I wanted to be.
This principle has stuck to date. I have always believed that what you lack in skill, you can make up for it by putting in the hard yards. To be brutally honest, I'm just halfway there, still a work in progress, but I know the results will come.
The other bigger lesson I learned was when the guard preached that achieving a dream isn't necessarily tied to greatness. It was about small wins. These wins spur you to be the best, and sometimes that's all that matters. Let me share that quote that's now a trending reel on Instagram.
"Those times when you stay up late and you work hard; those times when don’t feel like working — you’re too tired, you don’t want to push yourself — but you do it anyway. That is actually the dream. That’s the dream. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey. And if you guys can understand that, what you’ll see happen is that you won’t accomplish your dreams, your dreams won’t come true, something greater will."
So it's pretty much the whole "it's not how your drive, but it's how you arrive" theory. Except, the man simplified it.
Understanding The Meaning Of Sacrifice
In one of his interviews, Bryant speaks about the sacrifices he made to get to where he was. His relationships and his life outside of basketball took a beating. He admitted it as much.
Here's an excerpt that had me in awe. In his chat with Patrick-Bet David from Valuetainment, Bryant spoke about how his relationship was affected, given his immense urge to be successful. When asked how his bond with a cousin or a buddy from high school would be given his ridiculous dedication, he had a straightforward response.
(From 4:00 onwards)
"It suffers. And the people that love you, like friends and family, and know that about you. So they let you be you. And when you reconvene, you pick back up where you left off. But make no mistake about it, everything in between is lost."
And it was. My life isn't the same as Bryant, but I understood what he was talking about. Being the best means making sacrifices — eating the right food instead of the delicious burger, putting yourself through the wringer at the gym when you know your body could use some time off, or hanging out less with your pals because you need to train and stay committed to your objective. But believe me, sometimes the sacrifice is necessary to get you to where you are.
Kobe's Thoughts On How To Be Remembered
Today, there's sadness when I think of him and his final moments of what he would have experienced when he knew his time was up. But there is a sense of admiration, respect, and love when you look at what he's achieved.
He had a quote about being remembered. Per Sporting News:
“It’s the one thing you can control. You are responsible for how people remember you — or don’t. So don’t take it lightly. If you do it right, your game will live on in others. You’ll be imitated and emulated by those you played with, those you played against and those who never saw you play at all. So leave everything on the court. Leave the game better than you found it. And when it comes time for you to leave, leave a legend.”
My life might not have been as decorated as his, but I know the kind of person I want to be remembered as — be it in the sport I play, the job that I do, or the man that I am. It's about being a good person. It's about earning the respect of those around you. It's about being the one people can count on you for anything. This was yet one of those things that Bryant said that transcended beyond basketball.
Life Is Short. So Live It The Way You Feel Makes A Difference
You never know if you live to see another day. It doesn't mean you go slambang with your approach to life, but live it in a way that makes a difference. So that way, the last thing on your mind when you sleep is the satisfaction that you put every ounce of energy and effort into what you do.
It might not be the greatest, but it's gratifying enough to know that you're resting toward the end and not in the middle.
So, with that, I just want to say, "Thank you, Kobe," with a smile on my lips. Thank you for being a good influence, and I hope that someday like I promised my dad to make him proud of me, I'd make you proud too.
RIP, Black Mamba, and Gigi.
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