|| LocK Dis Up ||

[halcyon]

"Dear Basketball,



From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:

I fell in love with you.

A love so deep I gave you my all —
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.

As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.

And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.

I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.

You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.

And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner
:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

Love you always,
Kobe"

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

I'm driving back to SD.


I get a phone call from my mom. She says baby, stay calm. I'm instantly worried... She tells me Kobe announced he is retiring.


Lol I love my mom.


You knew the news would hit soon. Glad I bought my ticket for the last home game last week. There are a couple of single seats left in the lower bowl for that game.

I messed up, now they've gone up another 200$ in the last 30 min. 

But you buy them now risking he may be injured inbetween. Worthwhile risk imo, but still a risk.

 

[essential1]

Kobe has been in the NBA for most of my life, and has been my favorite player since my last year in elementary and entering into middle school. I've studied his game, watched countless hours of interviews and read anything I could on him, stayed up until 1am with school in the morning just to be able to watch him play. I did not get to see him play live in his prime, but I was able to see him once. And in that moment, I was taken back to being a kid watching his idol. It's going to be a sad and cold moment when it's finally over at the end of the season.

What I wrote about it. I knew it was coming, but I'm legitimately sad.

 

[MVP]

I'm just going to do the OKC/Clippers double dip and hopefully Cavs if he makes it that far. The last game tix have just gotten to be to damn ridiculous. 

 

[Los Angeles]

Sad hes gotta go out like this.

 

[kingjaffejo]

"I never cried when Mike retired, prob will when Kobe does."

 

[licensed to ball]

"I never cried when Mike retired, prob will when Kobe does."

 

[tupac003]

I messed up, now they've gone up another 200$ in the last 30 min. 

Did you try ticketmaster? They had a few single seats...

 

[sb]

[neo] not like this, not like this [/neo]

|I

 

[kvsm23vs24]

No. My feels

 

[tupac003]

But you buy them now risking he may be injured inbetween. Worthwhile risk imo, but still a risk.

Got mine from ticketmaster so I paid face value. If he is hurt, I still think they will do something for the last home game. And even if they don't, row 1 in a PR section for 150 ain't bad.

I've blown way more money than that on the craps table.

 

[Deleted member 107398]

****, I JUST bought tix yesterday morning for DC vs LAL, my first and last time seeing Kobe play...wow

 

[tupac003]

Good lord...stub hub prices are crazy!

 

[licensed to ball]

Never thought I'd be so happy but also so sad to see him announce his retirement.

At the same time.

Such a weird mixture of feels man.
It's clearly time to go, but its crazy to come to fruition.

:\

 

[MVP]

Going to do OKC instead of the Clippers game. Right behind the tunnel for $162 a piece

 

[had pants]

Thank you, Bean.

 

[darthska]

Hate it for y'all, but you kinda already knew what he said before he actually said it today, didn't you?

Anyways, like I said, I hate it for y'all. :\

 

[kal-el-8]

Hold me, famb

 

[mj 23]

I'm driving back to SD.

I get a phone call from my mom. She says baby, stay calm. I'm instantly worried... She tells me Kobe announced he is retiring.

Lol I love my mom.

You knew the news would hit soon. Glad I bought my ticket for the last home game last week. There are a couple of single seats left in the lower bowl for that game.

How much pac?

 

[licensed to ball]

Hate it for y'all, but you kinda already knew what he said before he actually said it today, didn't you?

Anyways, like I said, I hate it for y'all. :\

To be honest I'm happy for the team and franchise, obviously. It's way past due and I can't wait to see the young guys develop without his 20+ chucks a game.

On a personal level tho? Yeah man... It was tough reading that letter and I'm never into corny *** retirement announcements.

This is just something different for me man. It's like the nail on the coffin of my entire youth and mid twenties.

 

[had pants]

 

[senorroboto2k5]

Everyone at the game tonight is getting that printed copy of the letter

 

[moonman818]

Hate it for y'all, but you kinda already knew what he said before he actually said it today, didn't you?

Anyways, like I said, I hate it for y'all. :\

You probably felt this same pain the day Sheryl Swoops retired [emoji]128532[/emoji]

Will be in attendance that final clipper game though

 

[Deleted member 107398]

View media item 1807847

 

[bigego24]

Im gonna miss kobe

Damn wasn't prepared for this day [emoji]128557[/emoji][emoji]128557[/emoji][emoji]128557[/emoji][emoji]128557[/emoji][emoji]128557[/emoji] basketball won't be the same anymore [emoji]128546[/emoji]

its over :\

thank you for your greatness, Kobe

Damb fam. I knew this day was coming but it still sucks.

Sad hes gotta go out like this.

"I never cried when Mike retired, prob will when Kobe does."

Thank you, Bean.

I mostly lurk this thread. But Kobe is my favorite player ever. Gonna truly miss that guy.