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    Dear Basketball,

    From the moment
    I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
    And shooting imaginary
    Game-winning shots
    In the Great Western Forum
    I knew one thing was real:

    I fell in love with you.

    A love so deep I gave you my all —
    From my mind & body
    To my spirit & soul.

    As a six-year-old boy
    Deeply in love with you
    I never saw the end of the tunnel.
    I only saw myself
    Running out of one.

    And so I ran.
    I ran up and down every court
    After every loose ball for you.
    You asked for my hustle
    I gave you my heart
    Because it came with so much more.

    I played through the sweat and hurt
    Not because challenge called me
    But because YOU called me.
    I did everything for YOU
    Because that’s what you do
    When someone makes you feel as
    Alive as you’ve made me feel.

    You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
    And I’ll always love you for it.
    But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
    This season is all I have left to give.
    My heart can take the pounding
    My mind can handle the grind
    But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

    And that’s OK.
    I’m ready to let you go.
    I want you to know now
    So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
    The good and the bad.
    We have given each other
    All that we have.

    And we both know, no matter what I do next
    I’ll always be that kid
    With the rolled up socks
    Garbage can in the corner
    :05 seconds on the clock
    Ball in my hands.
    5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

    Love you always,
    Kobe

    Source: Dear Basketball | By Kobe Bryant