TORONTO – Kobe Bryant was walking for the All-Star Game door on Sunday night, his wife and daughters bundled for the coldest night of a Canadian winter. His ferocity has flickered out, replaced with reflection. At All-Star weekend, the NBA's biggest stars hadn't come to beat Bryant, but treat him like a monument. Never again does Bryant get to be surrounded with such greatness, never again surrounded with context to his career. Kobe Bryant is rounding third and headed for home. Yes, his wife and girls were walking for the door with him.
"It hasn't hit home yet," Bryant told The Vertical. "I'm not going through this and thinking, 'Oh, it's coming to an end.' I'm enjoying it moment by moment. And it feels damn good to be able to experience it."
As Bryant and his family awaited the elevator to bring them downstairs, he hesitated and said, "I mean, it feels damn good to just be playing still. … To just be playing."
This is your life, Kobe Bryant. This was your goodbye. That's how All-Star weekend had played itself out, how the relentlessness of Bryant's 20 years had been honored. For all these years, Bryant never felt terribly compelled to gift the most intimate details of his craft. He gassed himself to understand the nuances of it all, and never, ever wanted to cost himself a competitive advantage. Bryant didn't want only to win, but destroy you, too. The force of his will was nothing short of predatory.
"It hasn't hit home yet," Bryant told The Vertical. "I'm not going through this and thinking, 'Oh, it's coming to an end.' I'm enjoying it moment by moment. And it feels damn good to be able to experience it."
As Bryant and his family awaited the elevator to bring them downstairs, he hesitated and said, "I mean, it feels damn good to just be playing still. … To just be playing."
This is your life, Kobe Bryant. This was your goodbye. That's how All-Star weekend had played itself out, how the relentlessness of Bryant's 20 years had been honored. For all these years, Bryant never felt terribly compelled to gift the most intimate details of his craft. He gassed himself to understand the nuances of it all, and never, ever wanted to cost himself a competitive advantage. Bryant didn't want only to win, but destroy you, too. The force of his will was nothing short of predatory.
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