Why We Love Kobe Bryant: He Took the Shot

My tribute to one of the greatest and most beloved players ever.

Many professional athletes are admired, praised, and cheered by the public for their inspiring athletic prowess. We want to soar like them, but the closest we can get is buying their jerseys, teeth whiteners, and video games. We drink their paid-endorsed energy drinks, eat their paid-endorsed fast food, and get in loud arguments with friends about how necessary they are to the team’s success.

Sadly, most of these famous athletes are as temporary as snowmen, adored during their season, but just a fond memory when they melt away from the sport and are replaced the next season by a newer, younger, springier model.

But some athletes are so special that they represent more than their athletic achievements. They inspire not just admiration, but genuine affection—maybe even love.

Kobe Bryant was such an athlete. He was such a man.