LA Lakers’ Kobe Bryant anxious about life after basketball
Retiring Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant is anxious about his basketball afterlife. BIO
(Editor’s note: In a couple of months, superstar Laker Kobe Bryant will play his last game as a Laker. Fil-am sports blogger Leandre Ochoa, based in Los Angeles writes a career tribute to his and thousands of other Angelenos’ hero. A longer version ran in Lakers United.)
LOS ANGELES–“I have self-doubt. I have insecurity. I have fear of failure. I have nights when I show up at the arena and I’m like, ‘My back hurts, my feet hurt, my knees hurt. I don’t have it. I just want to chill.’ We all have self-doubt. You don’t deny it, but you also don’t capitulate to it. You embrace it,” basketball superstar Kobe Bryant reveals in the Showtime documentary “Muse,”
Bryant explains that life after basketball will be bit of a challenge.
“I’m afraid, too,” “You really have to lean on the muses and mentors going forward, just as I did as a kid. It’s about having that next wave of things, which is scary as hell, but it’s fun at the same time.”
These are words once spoken by Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe “Bean” Bryant. The once ever so spry, athletic, and for many years the invincible and arguably the 2nd best shooting guard to ever play the game, is now at the halfway point of his 20th and final NBA season.
The 2015-2016 NBA season more than halfway finished with the Lakers posting an 11 – 44 record, which is good for dead last in the competitive Western Conference. With the all-star break looming ahead this month, many of those in and around the NBA take this time to rest and reflect.
Kobe Bryant, 37, is the leading All-Star vote leader for this year’s annual All-Star game, has much reflecting to do himself. In a season that has solidified the Lakers as a team of rebuilding and youthfulness, Bryant is nearing the end of his historic and legacy filled career, which in turn does not mirror the Lakers’ current state. That self-doubt Kobe talks about speaks volumes– the retired version of Kobe is probably not as polished as the tenured and refined Kobe the basketball player
If asked by anyone about the biggest thing he was going to miss about the game, Bryant would probably recite template answers–from the battles he endured against his fiercest rivals, to the simplicity of how the basketball sounds going through the net, to the camaraderie shared among him and his teammates.
This final season of Kobe Bryant’s grand career is ultimately a farewell tour of sorts. Every one of his stops in opponents’ arenas seems more of a celebration of his legacy than being in hostile territory. In his previous 19 seasons, it would be customary for Bryant to focus on his opponent. The task at hand was to demolish and impose his will over the opponent, more often than not in a menacing fashion. This season, Bryant and his Lakers have spent 24 of the 41 games played on the road, with each game greeting Bryant with welcoming video montages and lavish gifts instead of raucous jeering.
Most recently, a game played in Boston against the Celtics, the most hostile of opposing Laker environments, had the crowd unfamiliarly chanting his name throughout the game, rooting for him as if he were playing for the home team.
A visit to North Carolina saw Bryant greeted by a video message by the current owner of the Charlotte Hornets, Michael Jordan, while a recent trip to the Bay Area saw Golden State Warriors executive Jerry West leaving a heartfelt message for the superstar. West, known as the “Icon,” was integral into getting Kobe traded to the Lakers from the Charlotte Hornets in 1996.
As much Bryant seems to be at peace with his decision to leave the game, there is always the uncertainty of what lies ahead.
Michael Jordan, a legend in his own right, knows of the difficulty of leaving such brilliance and the bright spotlight, as he returned to the NBA after two separate retirements. Jordan mentions in his video message to Bryant, “Your next step, I’m sure you are going to have to figure out from a competitive stand point, I’m pretty sure you’re just like me, you’re going to have to find other ways to utilize that competitive drive. I am a big fan; I still love watching you play. Looking forward to see what you do after this.”
While those sentiments feel heartfelt and pleasant, for Bryant, those words are not to be taken lightly.
After suffering a season ending torn Achilles in April of the 2012-2013 season, Bryant spent the following year rehabbing through a rigorous eight month process to put him back into playing shape. Bryant was able to meet the standards asked of him to continue his NBA career, but ultimately succumbed to more injury in the subsequent season. Like much of his NBA career, Kobe has had to find ways to fight through injury by reinventing the landscape of his game.
“Can I jump over two or three guys like I used to? No. Am I as fast as I used to be? No, but I still have the fundamentals and smarts. As a kid growing up, I never skipped steps. I always worked on fundaments because I know athleticism is fleeting.”
Knowing that he would soon be losing much of his athleticism, Kobe spent a lot of time during his months of rehab thinking about his future and how to build his brand even more. Thus – Kobe Inc, Bryant’s first company. Bryant established Kobe Inc. in order to grow his brand in the sports industry. The very first company he invested in was the Body Armor sports drink.
Bryant has already refused becoming a coach in the future, citing his inability to physically help the team if needed and his lack of patience with in the development of players. However, the idea of owning a team has definitely crossed his mind.
“If I’m involved in basketball from a league perspective, it would be from an ownership perspective.”
From the acknowledgement of the once villainous fans in Boston, to the appreciation from Hall of Famers like Michael Jordan and Jerry West, there is an abundant amount of well wishes to aid Bryant in his basketball afterlife.
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