As a kid my father would watch every single game of the lakers (lakers franchise 1997-2008). Since i was a kid back then i would always hate my dad for changing the channel of the tv from the anime or cartoons to the lakers' game. He would always shout "kobe!" and you can see from the expression of his face how much he love the game of basketball especially the lakers. In the end i end up watching the game too since i can't do anything about it. My dad would always tell me to play the game, to join the MILO tryouts and drills to be a basketball player someday and since i dont have interest in the game that time, he would always scold me for it. Until the 2000 playoffs and finals, that is when i fall in love with the game. A young kobe bryant and a very dominant shaq, one of the most dominant force in nba history. That moment was the turning point of my love for basketball. I hate kobe and the lakers before that since my dad and i would always have our little arguments about the program to watch on the tv. I remember my dad's friends telling me how good my dad is at basketball, telling stories about his college basketball varsity days, and enticing me even more to do my best to be a good player of the game, saying things like "your dad moves like kobe, shoots like kobe". And all i can do is imagine it all in my head since my dad wont let me come with him during his casual games with his friends. My dad died @36 years of age, a victim of an unsolve murder case. I know that even with the lakers struggling to surpass the teams from the west to conquer another championship, my dad never fail to support them in his own little ways, he idolize kobe so much that he would put on hard work just to copy his moves. Since he died in the month of july, i know how heart broken he is when the lakers lost to the boston celtics in the finals of 2008. That's the last game he watched before his tragic death. And we all know what happened in the 2009 and 2010 nba finals. I know even in heaven he's watching his lakers team and his mamba conquer the basketball world again. When kobe died, it hit me so bad to the point i cried subconsciously, i remembered my dad at that very moment after hearing the news. Kobe was a big part of me and my dads life. After the 2008 season i never failed to watch the game because of kobe. I always root for them to win. He changed my life. He's the reason i love basketball, even though i took a different career path, i still play the game, in sports fest and casual games with friends. He's a hero to me, when im watching him play i see my dad, i remember his face back then when he's still alive watching kobe play. Kobe's death was so sudden and freaking heart breaking! I keep my emotions at bay for a whole week. I know it was so devastating and so sudden but at the end of the line, we will all give back the life that God has entrusted us with. And i know that My Dad and Kobe and all the people on his chopper that day are with the Man Above. The black mamba will always be remembered and loved. Papa say hi to kobe for me. I know that you met your hero now. Be well there.



As a tribute to kobe, i made an art of him. You can check out the link. To commemorate a free throw he did evem when he's injured (his achiles injury). One of the most badass moments in nba that will always earn my burning respect.