Kobe Bryant embraces us again with Hall of Fame announcement
LOS ANGELES – The announcement was perfectly timed, blaring into a somber shutdown Saturday morning, bringing an old friend through our locked doors and back into our lives.
You can’t quarantine Kobe.
The world has stopped, but the memory of Kobe Bryant pushes forward, the late legend still figuring out how to score when it matters most.
Bryant was one of eight basketball figures selected for enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, a foregone conclusion that felt like a surprise blessing.
Two months after his death, several weeks after a mourning country turned its focus to an entirely different sort of tragedy, Kobe was suddenly back, and it was sweetly comforting.
His face was again in the news, check out the appropriate photo that accompanied Dan Woike’s story on the L.A. Times website.
It looks like he’s literally jumping into our arms.
His memory was being summoned again during interviews, listen to the compelling words of Vanessa Bryant in a video chat with ESPN:
“Obviously we wish he was here with us to celebrate,” she said, fighting back tears while sitting next to oldest daughter Natalia. “But it’s definitely the peak of his NBA career.”
His praises were again being shared by those who knew him best, witness the statements from Lakers controlling owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka:
“His fierce competitiveness, work ethic and drive were unmatched,” Buss said. “Those qualities helped Kobe lead us to five titles – and have now brought him to the Hall of Fame ... no one deserves it more.”
Pelinka actually addressed Bryant, saying, “The highest of congratulations to you, dear friend ... now a part of you will live in the Hall with the rest of the alltime greats, where your legend and spirit will continue to grow forever.”
That legend and spirit is especially useful now, when Bryant’s legacy carries an even more powerful resonance. As this country deals with the devastation of the novel coronavirus, it seems like a good time to adopt, “The Mamba Mentality.”
“The process is the journey,” he would say, and don’t we all need to believe that?
“Trust in the hard work,” he would preach, and isn’t that the difficult truth?
During a time when it’s tough to know where to place your faith, Bryant constantly preached believing in yourself, and his Hall of Fame enshrinement – along with Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and others – is a powerful reminder of that belief.