By TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Some schedule in 2002, Foxy as Chick Hearn affectionately called him looks to inbound the ball in North Carolina against the Charlotte Hornets with clutch king Derek Fisher in prime 0.4 position and less time left than future Buzz City owner Michael Jordan had to decide which hand to lay it up off the glass with for that infamous, iconic play back against the 80's Lakers that was true Showtime.
2016 was supposed to be the best year. I met a wonderful woman and that was truly beautiful and we got to see LeBron win it for The Land. But in that same year we lost Prince, Ali, Bowie and a whole heroic host of other G.O.A.T., out of this world talents. And all we got back was Trump and Brexit. Even Kobe retired from the NBA as a Laker for life, 24 and 8 to be in the rafters. 20 years. 81 points amongst more. Two jerseys. One team. At least we had each other.
Fox finds Shaq downtown in a position the most dominant ever has no business being like the free throw line or players in clubs the night before a big game, gone three ("what it do bay-bee"). He looks for Robert Horry whose had more big shots than anyone without Air before their name in the logo.
2020 was supposed to be that year of redemption finally recovered from the depression. Finally lost in translation in Japan for a teaching gig on my way to writing for the Tokyo, 2020 Olympics in any way I could. This was supposed to be the new roaring twenties in a new Fitzgerald, Gatsby age of decadence. But then the morning I got here, somewhere in Yokohama my phone was buzzing in the middle of what was my night from back home like someone I cared about died. Turns out they did. To begin this year we lost Kobe and GiGi and all those people that tragically lost their lives in that horrific helicopter crash. Rest peacefully. And all we got back was Corona. Turns out in the end it's the worst year. Stay safe.
Big shot Bob gracefully gives it off to the young 'fro of Kob who on the ball at the same center court Charlotte logo he could have owned (and still did as he was about to) is aggressively marked by former '96 Laker teammate George Lynch, who is on him like 41 on Glen Rice whose three throwing left the Lakers last season.
Rocking the same teal and turquoise Kobe cleats I copped the same year I fell in love with someone of the same name in tribute, now I walk in them to honour the man who joined the team I started supporting a year earlier and began a beautiful twenty year fanship that felt like a friend too. And the rest was hallowed hoops history I hope haunts every night for the rest of my life. The 'Charlotte' Kobe's imagine in imagery what it would have been like if Kobe took to the floor in Larry Johnson pinstripes too.
Kobe drives like Ryan Gosling in LA. Straight for the perimeter like a Raptor towards a weakness on the fence. Then on the world's smallest dime he stops on what looks like the smoothest, slipperiest when Bon Jovi, classic Hornet honeycomb court in all the association as he bobs and pump fake weaves. Turns out it is for the ankle breaking defender he's just lynched and the G.O.A.T like M.J. as the future number 24 fades away like 23 and falls to the floor.
With the unlucky for them and all the other teams who passed up before like a Sam Bowie (or Todd Fuller(?)! Who? I know right!), 13th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft the Charlotte Hornets selected Kobe Bryant, a 6 foot 6, 215 pound guard out of Lower Merion high school. As fellow twenty/twenty gone before his time, late, great legend David Stern shook his hand. Even future teammate Samaki Walker-with all due respect-was selected before him.
As 8 watched his wonder of a clutch shot like an Oscar winning 'Dear Basketball' scrawled and rolled up tube sock, it would have been a prayer if it was from any other player. But Hail Mary this is Kobe who the Basketball Gods called to their hoop heavens with the Mambacita Mentality of the first name Gianna, who would have grown up to be the greatest WNBA player of all-time like her father Hollywood's greatest storyteller like a Harry Potter wizard, Wizenard with Voldemort Halloween fancy dress killer instinct.
But then as the draft day deal goes down, the logo Jerry West redefined the NBA once again as he shipped centre Vlade Divac (who came aboard from abroad post-Showtime as part of Basketball's new European evolution and revolution and ended up actually playing with the man he was traded for, Kobe back on the Lakers before he retired) to the Hornets nest for Charlotte's new basketball buzz. The kid called Kobe with sunglasses uptop his Jordan dome, "taking his talents" to the NBA like future Laker LeBron to South Beach as the King. Add a Shaq sized center and the rest is hoops history engraved in the legend of Larry...O'Brien like a storied Bird and Magic, Celtics rivalry.
As Kobe falls and slides across the same teal that could have been his in Laker purple on his bum, the ball falls through the twine right at the perfect timing, second moment of 0.00 without a tenth to spare. The city of Charlotte can you tell me how his a## tastes? Word to Shaq's raps. Kobe has barely stopped sliding when he's pumping his fists in celebration like that was helping him move along the floor like a western handcar across the tracks.
What could have been seems these days more of a heartbreaking question, than a Twitter timeline debate one, as our feeds are full of tributes in testimony. If Kobe as a Hornet ruled the world (imagine that). Imagine one G.O.A.T. under another with Kobe and Jordan, 23 and 24. Imagine a backcourt with Baron. David Wesley in reserve. In the 24's of his later career Kobe and Kemba. 2K like a video game. Imagine him in that classic, iconic white with teal and purple pins (and those switching colour alternates) instead of purple and gold. Imagine the Buzz City Jersey purple. Laker fans would shudder. Charlotte would shiver. Kobe would have brought trophies. Put North Carolina on the NBA map as well as UNC college like Jumpman, Jumpman, Jumpman. If he moved to New Orleans with the team after Katrina via an Oklahoma home it would have been Mardi Gras. This guys no Bobcat. They would have never given up the name to the future Pelicans, only to take it back years and deals later. Let's not even get started with the Hornets six degrees of separation. Still we think Bryant would have ended up in Hollywood one way or another. It just seemed scripted by the Basketball God's. So much so. Meant to be. Just like Kobe trolled the Hornets on Instagram on his draft day anniversary. Yet Kobe almost ended up with Charlotte for life and sometimes it's just as heartbreakingly close as that. Or the final, life changing seconds before he cock, loaded, adjusted his sight and sniper pulled the trigger. That's a bullseye.
"THE DAGGER! THE DAAAAGGER," the commentator keeps crying as Kobe pumping his fist like this, drives the knife through the heart of the city that could have been his if they had him. We are far from the playoffs for the defending double champions in 2002, but the master of those ceremonies Robert Horry runs to pick him up in an embrace like he just D'Angelo vein iced Game 7. A suited, screaming Samaki Walker celebrating at the camera leads the bench off the pine on to the hardwood. There's muted, humbled boos as Kobe raises his hand in iconic, jawing celebration for the first of many infamous Laker Jersey thumps. Hugging Shaq like when he leapt into his arms after just another game in the year 2000. Keeping his arm up, reaching for the sky like the Wild West, Kobe is the first to run off the floor like the wrong sort of fans were about to hit it. But the Hornets have to give it up. That sting in his tail was one of young Kobe's best. So much so my 17 like Rick Fox year old self wore out the tape on my VHS like it was something I shouldn't watch gone four o'clock in the morning across the pond. I still remember the joy of the shot that I knew was good the second it left Kobe's hand, like it was yesterday. Not almost 20 years ago. I still remember him like he's here. It still doesn't seem real.
Now like Joel and Benji or 'Lifestyles Of The Rich Famous', that was good Charlotte.
#TheKobeSeries
#Forever24
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