- Aug 1, 2004
- 70,049
- 24,223
they ain't even wait till da crash site stop smoldering...
R.I.P Kobe Bryant.
- Thread in 'General' Thread starter Started by Lee And His Sneaks,
- Start date
they ain't even wait till da crash site stop smoldering...
- Dec 12, 2013
- 1,281
- 1,742
I've spent the last 2 days trying to figure out why I am so sad about Kobe and Gianna and have realized a few things. I am an older guy. So I didn't grow up wanting to be Kobe. I wanted to play like MJ and Magic when I was a kid. Kobe came into the league when I was in college. I am a huge Lakers fan. I wasn't a huge fan of Kobe in his early years to be honest. I knew he was a gifted athlete but I thought he was selfish and self-serving which I still think he was in his early years.
I was growing up as a man and so was Kobe. Kobe bought two mansions in Newport Coast close to where I was living and hanging out. My friends and I would run into Kobe once in while when we were out. He would also work out at the new gym that was built at the college I attended, UC Irvine which is right next to Newport Beach. He never talked to fans or signed autographs when he was with his family. That was his rule. If he was with his kids, no fans allowed. My friends' kids went to school with Kobe and Pelinka's kids. Pelinka also lives in Newport Beach. I had Lakers season tickets for 5 years and made it all the way down to the lower level seats. After one game, I saw him driving his Ferrari back to Orange County on the freeway. He was racing home in the carpool lane to get back to his family I assume. My friends and I would always talk to each other about Kobe. I would ask my friends "Have you seen Kobe lately?". One of my friends saw him often at school with his kids. One day, I asked him if he saw Kobe recently and he said "Yeah, he gave me a hug!". I was like WOW you are getting really close to him! I was hoping he would get close enough for me to meet him too some day. Over the years, Kobe developed into the great player that he was and I realized that he had become the best player in the league. My admiration for him grew and grew until he became a hero to me, the only real hero I ever had. Unfortunately, I never went out of my way to meet him. I always thought I would eventually run into him somewhere, but I never felt like standing in line to get my shoes signed.
Another one of my friends was his private helicopter pilot at one point. I think this was when Kobe first started using helicopters because my friend was the owner of a helicopter company that had like 2 or 3 passenger helicopters. I remember when my friend came to my office one day and told us that he just flew Kobe to LA from John Wayne airport. He had a with a half empty water bottle and set the bottle on the counter and said "Kobe drank out of that bottle". I was like wow! Kobe's DNA is in there! Funny memory.
Then I got married and had 2 girls just like he did (before his other 2 girls were born). I watched him be a great dad to his girls and I wanted to do the same. Kobe's last 3 years in the league, I would go to 2 or 3 games a year and sit way down in the 3rd row to watch him. Everytime I went to see him play, I was amazed. I could see when guys were afraid of him. He dominated whoever was guarding him and he also dominated his teammates. One game, he yelled at Jeremy Lin so much, Lin looked like he was gonna cry. He berated Lin the whole game! I honestly think Kobe made Lin nervous and affected the way Lin played for the worse. Kobe was trying to get Lin to be aggressive and smarter but Lin didn't seem up for the challenge. It was fun to watch. I used to sit in my seat at the game and try to make my wife realize that we are watching greatness and we will not be able to see him play for very much longer. My wife and I bonded over watching Kobe and the Lakers. After he retired, we went to some games and the Lakers were regularly getting blown out but I still loved to go. My absolute favorite thing to do is go to Laker games.
In the recent years, Kobe was still a hero to me. Watching his career end and seeing how he was transforming himself into a great entrepreneur was so fascinating to me. I was sad that he retired from basketball though. I didn't even feel like watching basketball anymore because no one was as fun to watch as Kobe. Lebron has since filled the void at the Laker games, but I still closely followed whatever Kobe was doing outside of the Lakers. I watched old Kobe videos, his new interviews, read all his books. I just enjoyed learning about his mind and his methods. He became a true legend in my mind. My friends and I would still talk about him once in a while. I would hear stories about him showing up to his kids performances. This is also when I started seeing videos of him coaching Gigi. My daughters are younger than Gigi, but, when I saw him coaching, I knew I wanted to do that someday too.
I've been emotional about Kobe and Gigi and I've questioned it because I don't even know them personally. I didn't know why I felt so sad. It took me a few days to realize that Kobe became a part of my life over the last 20+ years. I named my dog after him. My garage door code has 24 in it. My house is littered with Kobe memorabilia and all of that was way before this tragedy. Most of my wife's presents to me are Kobe related. Last year, I picked up the Kobe 4 Carpe Diem and I love them. I always wanted a pair and was almost going to pay resell for them before the retros came out. I wear them all the time and I'm wearing them right now. I didn't realize how much Kobe became a part of my life until the tragedy happened. When I found out Gigi was also on the helicopter, it hit me hard because I have daughters. I cried and I felt dumb for being so emotional. Why would someone cry over a celeb death? I have never been an emotional person let alone emotional about a celebrity death. I now know that this was much more than just a celeb death for me. This was more like an old dependable friend passing away. The words Carpe Diem always come to mind now because I have been wearing the Kobe 4s every day. Since Kobe's death, I see my family and differently, especially my daughters. My whole perspective has changed. Carpe Diem or "Seize the Day" is the best lesson I can get out of all this. Seize the day as much as possible. Make the most of the present time with whoever is important to you. Carpe Diem, my friends. Thank you to Niketalk for providing an outlet for me. I didn't feel comfortable posting this anywhere else but here.
I was growing up as a man and so was Kobe. Kobe bought two mansions in Newport Coast close to where I was living and hanging out. My friends and I would run into Kobe once in while when we were out. He would also work out at the new gym that was built at the college I attended, UC Irvine which is right next to Newport Beach. He never talked to fans or signed autographs when he was with his family. That was his rule. If he was with his kids, no fans allowed. My friends' kids went to school with Kobe and Pelinka's kids. Pelinka also lives in Newport Beach. I had Lakers season tickets for 5 years and made it all the way down to the lower level seats. After one game, I saw him driving his Ferrari back to Orange County on the freeway. He was racing home in the carpool lane to get back to his family I assume. My friends and I would always talk to each other about Kobe. I would ask my friends "Have you seen Kobe lately?". One of my friends saw him often at school with his kids. One day, I asked him if he saw Kobe recently and he said "Yeah, he gave me a hug!". I was like WOW you are getting really close to him! I was hoping he would get close enough for me to meet him too some day. Over the years, Kobe developed into the great player that he was and I realized that he had become the best player in the league. My admiration for him grew and grew until he became a hero to me, the only real hero I ever had. Unfortunately, I never went out of my way to meet him. I always thought I would eventually run into him somewhere, but I never felt like standing in line to get my shoes signed.
Another one of my friends was his private helicopter pilot at one point. I think this was when Kobe first started using helicopters because my friend was the owner of a helicopter company that had like 2 or 3 passenger helicopters. I remember when my friend came to my office one day and told us that he just flew Kobe to LA from John Wayne airport. He had a with a half empty water bottle and set the bottle on the counter and said "Kobe drank out of that bottle". I was like wow! Kobe's DNA is in there! Funny memory.
Then I got married and had 2 girls just like he did (before his other 2 girls were born). I watched him be a great dad to his girls and I wanted to do the same. Kobe's last 3 years in the league, I would go to 2 or 3 games a year and sit way down in the 3rd row to watch him. Everytime I went to see him play, I was amazed. I could see when guys were afraid of him. He dominated whoever was guarding him and he also dominated his teammates. One game, he yelled at Jeremy Lin so much, Lin looked like he was gonna cry. He berated Lin the whole game! I honestly think Kobe made Lin nervous and affected the way Lin played for the worse. Kobe was trying to get Lin to be aggressive and smarter but Lin didn't seem up for the challenge. It was fun to watch. I used to sit in my seat at the game and try to make my wife realize that we are watching greatness and we will not be able to see him play for very much longer. My wife and I bonded over watching Kobe and the Lakers. After he retired, we went to some games and the Lakers were regularly getting blown out but I still loved to go. My absolute favorite thing to do is go to Laker games.
In the recent years, Kobe was still a hero to me. Watching his career end and seeing how he was transforming himself into a great entrepreneur was so fascinating to me. I was sad that he retired from basketball though. I didn't even feel like watching basketball anymore because no one was as fun to watch as Kobe. Lebron has since filled the void at the Laker games, but I still closely followed whatever Kobe was doing outside of the Lakers. I watched old Kobe videos, his new interviews, read all his books. I just enjoyed learning about his mind and his methods. He became a true legend in my mind. My friends and I would still talk about him once in a while. I would hear stories about him showing up to his kids performances. This is also when I started seeing videos of him coaching Gigi. My daughters are younger than Gigi, but, when I saw him coaching, I knew I wanted to do that someday too.
I've been emotional about Kobe and Gigi and I've questioned it because I don't even know them personally. I didn't know why I felt so sad. It took me a few days to realize that Kobe became a part of my life over the last 20+ years. I named my dog after him. My garage door code has 24 in it. My house is littered with Kobe memorabilia and all of that was way before this tragedy. Most of my wife's presents to me are Kobe related. Last year, I picked up the Kobe 4 Carpe Diem and I love them. I always wanted a pair and was almost going to pay resell for them before the retros came out. I wear them all the time and I'm wearing them right now. I didn't realize how much Kobe became a part of my life until the tragedy happened. When I found out Gigi was also on the helicopter, it hit me hard because I have daughters. I cried and I felt dumb for being so emotional. Why would someone cry over a celeb death? I have never been an emotional person let alone emotional about a celebrity death. I now know that this was much more than just a celeb death for me. This was more like an old dependable friend passing away. The words Carpe Diem always come to mind now because I have been wearing the Kobe 4s every day. Since Kobe's death, I see my family and differently, especially my daughters. My whole perspective has changed. Carpe Diem or "Seize the Day" is the best lesson I can get out of all this. Seize the day as much as possible. Make the most of the present time with whoever is important to you. Carpe Diem, my friends. Thank you to Niketalk for providing an outlet for me. I didn't feel comfortable posting this anywhere else but here.
- Dec 9, 2002
- 34,655
- 28,013
Still can't believe how Nike played the boy with models 5-8 being basically the same generic shoe 
2k4 still there GOAT hoop shoe. They need to release those with his logo on them.
2k4 still there GOAT hoop shoe. They need to release those with his logo on them.
- Oct 29, 2016
- 1,789
- 2,637
You might rep something or someone even more when their gone for a number of reasons. Let’s quit the hate and celebrate.
On that note for now these numbers ridin in the back if not worn on it.
On that note for now these numbers ridin in the back if not worn on it.
- Dec 9, 2002
- 34,655
- 28,013
Almost forgot, Kobe portrait i did on an iPad a few years back
- Mar 9, 2013
- 23,560
- 30,747
Still can't believe how Nike played the boy with models 5-8 being basically the same generic shoe
nah the 7's very
Still can't believe how Nike played the boy with models 5-8 being basically the same generic shoe
Nah the 7’s were pretty different. I hated playing ball in the 7’s. They were stiff, narrow, and heavy to me. I’ve always preferred the 5’s and 6’s to play ball in. I had like maybe 2 pairs of 7’s and didn’t like the feel and I reverted back to 6’s. The 8’s were nice too. Had a few colorways, but still didn’t top the 5’s and 6’s for me
sonoftony
Supporter
- Apr 3, 2005
- 29,217
- 23,393
already posted on the Footy Thread but very classy of Kobe's favorite club
- Mar 19, 2013
- 47,259
- 96,824
already posted on the Footy Thread but very classy of Kobe's favorite club
I remember the interview of him and Thierry and he asked Thierry who his favorite player was. He said Marco Van Basten.
Then Kobe said his fav player was also Van Basten and Henry tripped out
he was so happy. It was dope to watchAlmost forgot, Kobe portrait i did on an iPad a few years back
ipad ? maaaaan thats AMAZING work
looks like a pencil
if you got time you planning on working on a new piece, seem very talented
- Dec 9, 2002
- 34,655
- 28,013
Thanks brother
yes i have a piece in mind but i haven't found the right picture to reproduce. I definitely plan on doing something though.I'm looking for a photo of Kobe doing a reverse layup and the photo angle is from above, if anyone has anything similar.
- Mar 9, 2013
- 23,560
- 30,747
God bless you man. I went out and did the same thing early in the day yesterday. Stopped by the mall afterwards because again, it was 2 mins from the house. I still don't know where the hate came from. But I am done here. Not to argue but to continue talking memories and celebrating the legacy of kobe.
- May 23, 2005
- 63,609
- 50,740
- Sep 26, 2012
- 691
- 1,902
Just gonna put this down right here. SMH
- Dec 27, 2014
- 35,489
- 78,024
Just gonna put this down right here. SMH
What am I missing?
- Jul 30, 2017
- 9,746
- 15,855
Hell yea those were good times back then..I was apart of this organization at Cleveland State and we went to Detroit that summer..I stayed on Wayne State campus for 2 weeks..it seemed like everybody back then had either a Rip or Sheed jersey
- Dec 3, 2009
- 39,331
- 19,778
Kiley clout chasing?
- Oct 24, 2010
- 94,423
- 33,487
nothing. kinda pointless
people acting like the pilot was a madman, **** happens. bad weather
whatever the story or situation it will come out but most likely due to the fog that im sure they were told to avoid
- Oct 29, 2016
- 1,789
- 2,637
Put it anywhere, just not here manJust gonna put this down right here. SMH
- Mar 19, 2013
- 16,217
- 32,752
I think Nike stopped due to the fact that their contract with Kobe is terminated/void once he passed away. I don’t know what clauses the contract had but maybe that is a factor in stopping, probably have to deal with Kobe’s wife as to where Nike stands with the signature shoe line.
6 Rings G.O.A.T.
Supporter
- Feb 11, 2006
- 136,461
- 117,534
Yeah I was talking with friends and that's what we are seeing.. I thought Kobe had a life contract with Nike..
- Oct 8, 2002
- 42,398
- 44,304
Damn, so Nike’s not going to be able to use his name anymore?
- Mar 19, 2013
- 16,217
- 32,752
No, I don’t think his was a lifetime contract. LeBron does but I don’t think Kobe’s was.
Depends on the contract but really it’s void once the person passes away. Wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing Adidas and Reebok bring out shoes/colorways Kobe has worn.
- May 3, 2009
- 10,292
- 26,706
- Oct 31, 2012
- 10,817
- 2,575
Still doesn’t feel real 
rest easy Kobe and Gigi
rest easy Kobe and Gigi
- Dec 14, 2004
- 60,034
- 50,948
Still can't believe how Nike played the boy with models 5-8 being basically the same generic shoe
I tell people all the time I prefer his Adidas line over Nike. Kobe also blew up and I know a lot of people that became fans when he went to Nike.
1 was trash, 2 was dope, 3 was different and then 4-8 are so ****in similar to me. I bought the 2s and my next Kobe was the 9. I wanted the 3 but the colors I liked didn’t drop in price enough
Lakers should have beat Detroit, I was sick for months. Choke job.
