The three hours before an NBA game in an arena are pretty dull. I was covering a Warriors-Lakers game at Oracle Arena back in 2013 and it was 4:30 p.m. I was painfully bored.
Rookies and other young big men were working on their post-up moves on one basket. The "Flying Dubs" were practicing their dunks off trampolines onto a landing pad at the other end. The Warriors cheerleaders were going over their choreography at center court.
It was the base of the totem pole of the NBA hierarchy.
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But then all of a sudden, I heard a commotion: Kobe Bryant was emerging from the players' tunnel. Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched him. Even the DJ cut the cheerleaders’ music. We were in the presence of an actual immortal.
He started with 10 free throws. Sunk them all. Shot five threes from the corner. Then the wing. Top of the key. Then the other wing and corner.
He made all 25.
Then, he switched to the shots he was known for. The stepback from the free-throw line, the sprint to the elbow and pull-up jumper, and of course, the turn-around fadeaway from the baseline.
Golden State Warriors
He didn’t miss once.
It wasn’t the fact that he made all his shots. It was the fact that he was on the back end of his career. He was 17 years into the league and had already won 5 NBA titles.
He already was one of the greatest players of his generation and he was warming up right next to bench-warming rookies and the halftime entertainment.
There was nothing left to prove. But there he was, honing his craft.
It was like watching Adele slum it at a karaoke bar. Or seeing Da Vinci at a wine-and-paint night. It was incredible to witness. And it was in that moment that I truly understood his greatness.
On Sunday, Kobe, his 13-year old daughter Gianna, and seven others tragically were killed in a helicopter crash. He was 41 years old.
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As a Warriors fan who hates the Lakers, there are few players I rooted against harder than Kobe Bean Bryant. But I respected the hell out of him. And I think that’s the greatest compliment you could ever give a rival.
#RIPKobe