Dear Kobe
I guess this is it, huh?
I said goodbye to you once, and now I have to say goodbye for real. Forever
I was a kid, who really has nothing to do with sports
But from the moment I had my first glance at the basketball game, I knew one thing was real, I fell in love with it, just like you did
I knew I could never be like you
I was an ordinary boy,5 feet, couldn’t jump high enough, run fast enough, shoot good enough
And You? You were the king in that league, a killer, man, you totally ruled
You see I, didn’t like you that much for that reason, I was frustrated
You were that good, even too good to be true
And I know, not only me, friends around me, they looked up to you, you were like a god, a true hero
We talked about your story, we wore your number, sneakers on, they were named after Kobe
One day you wrote that letter, telling us you gotta go
“Mamba out”. That’s how you put it
I began to realize what you meant to me
Some people like you, some people don’t
But all the people who truly love basketball will respect you, and remember your name
You showed the world the true meaning of toughness, bravery, and faith
You were a great player, but more importantly
you were a strong fighter, and the world could always use more fighters
Life is truly a tunnel, I’m sorry to hear that you’ve run up to the end of it
I hope you see the light, that you created, that you brought to our life
Now, please let us send it back to you
I know you would never leave, for your greatness has already deeply imprinted in our mind
As long as I keep dribbling, as long as we keep fighting, Mamba mentality will never fade
Even I still played poorly, got blocked easily, but I never quit playing, never give up fighting, that’s the legacy you left us
Ordinary as I may be, I will always, people around the world will always love basketball, in the name of Mamba
We’ll always be like you, ran up and down every court, after every loose ball like you did
And close our eyes, we can see you again, turning around, fading away, 5 seconds on the clock, ball in your hands
Love you always
A person who love basketball
