In the midst of my absence, a lot has taken place in the sports world....
It’s been some weeks since my last update, and a lot has happened in basketball during that time. Three key points I’d like to touch on are
3. The Warriors beating the 95-96 Chicago Bulls season record (73-9)
2. Villanova winning the National NCAA Championship (#215forlife)
1. Kobe Bryant’s last game/final season.
I’d like to congratulate the Golden State Warriors for playing good team basketball and managing to end the 2015-16 season with a record of 73 wins and 9 losses. A lot of times most of the credit is given to Steph Curry, so I make it my business that when I speak on the Warriors to do just that; Speak on the Warriors.
Secondly, major shoutouts to the Villanova Wildcats on bringing that title back to the 215. I kind of regret not going to the parade in the city last Friday. Regardless, it’s a very good look for the city. Villanova played great ball all season long from the first tip off of the season to the dream shattering buzzer beater taken by Kris Jenkins and it all paid off in the end.
Now, to the most important point. The one that’s closest to my heart.... I almost want to create an entirely different post to address this.
It’s finally come to an end, and if I were to tell you that I didn’t get emotional then I’d be lying. The best in the world in my honest opinion, a man I’ve been watching since the age of 7 has played the last and final game of his career and is finally hanging up his Nikes. 60 points scored for 50 attempts from the field. 20 years, 5 championships, and a long laundry list of other accomplishments. We often speak about Allen Iverson and how he changed the culture of basketball so much, which is true. But Kobe’s cultural contributions I feel often go overlooked. For my generation, Kobe was our example of excellence. Many of us didn’t grow up watching Jordan, we grew up watching Kobe. Much of what we know of Jordan was passed down to us through stories and highlights. We witnessed Kobe for ourselves, with out own eyes. I’ll never forget, being a Trailblazers and Rasheed Wallace fan, and being crushed after they lost in the 7th game to the dominant Shaq-driven Los Angeles Lakers (Still not over it). I remember being even more crushed when they went on to sweep the Sixers. While some might argue and say that Shaq is the reason the Lakers won those championships, Kobe’s contributions toward those wons should never go unnoticed. Even during his early years in the league I knew Kobe was special. Two of the highest scoring performances belong to two Philadelphia Legends; Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game, and Kobe Bryant’s 81 point game. There will never be another, but I can’t wait to see the next guy who tries to come close.