Get on board with Extra Inning Softball’s regular feature, The Last Inning.
We are scouring the Internet and Social Media and keeping our ears to the street for the latest going on in the softball community.
To contribute information, insights, thoughts or content ideas, email us at info@extrainningsoftball.com. You can also send items/story ideas to Carlos Arias via email at los.extrainningsoftball@gmail.com or via Twitter @Los_Stuff.
Here’s our TLI for Monday, Jan. 27, 2020… which today is solely dedicated to the shocking loss of one of the greatest athletes and competitors of our lifetimes…
*****
#RIPMAMBA
Growing up in So Cal, I first became aware of the Los Angeles Lakers as a young boy in the 1980s. Back then the Lakers were known as the “Showtime Lakers,” because of the flash and fastbreaking style Magic Johnson brought to the club.
Magic was amazing with his no-look passes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with his sky hooks, Michael Cooper with the Coop-a-loops, James Worthy with his statue of Liberty layups and Kurt Rambis with his Clark Kent glasses. There were many more exciting players.
The “Showtime Lakers” won NBA championships in 1980, ’82, ’85, then went back-to-back in ’87 and ’88, but missed out on Coach Pat Riley‘s “Threepeat” after a loss to the Detroit Pistons in ’89. They also lost in the NBA Finals in ’83, ’84 and to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1991.
Jordan and the Bulls owned the NBA in the 1990s. Jordan was always an amazing dunker and scoring machine, but in the 90s he became the ultimate champion. Nobody would ever touch Michael’s greatness … at least that’s what we thought.
Then along came Kobe Bean Bryant, a phenom from Lower Merion High outside of Philly and the son of former NBA player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant. Kobe was going to make the jump from high school to The League. Lakers general manager Jerry West, aka The Logo, saw Kobe at a pre-draft workout in LA and he knew Kobe was the future of the Lakers. After some moves at the 1996 NBA Draft, the Lakers ended up with Kobe and they traded for Shaquille O’Neal.
Every sports fan in So Cal has been following Kobe’s every move ever since. TLI would always catch as many Laker games as possible during the 1980s and 90s. Chick Hearn, may he rest in peace, was one of the greatest announcers of all-time. TLI doesn’t want to exaggerate, but during Kobe’s 20-year career we must have seen at least 85 percent of his games. There were years where TLI saw every minute of every game.
When TiVo came out in 1999, TLI was one of the first to pick one up. TiVo was a great way to never miss a Laker game. I remember describing TiVo to a friend, Scottie Barnes, who was also a huge Lakers fan. “So you’re telling me we can pause, rewind and go into the future?” Scottie asked. He didn’t have the concept down, but I’m sure he’s figured out DVRs by now.
At first, Kobe seemed brash, confident, cocky and talked trash to everyone. He came off the bench in his rookie year, but we all knew the 18-year-old was destined for much more. Kobe soared over everyone to win the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. His rookie year was a learning year, but we really began to see a glimpse of what was to come in his second season when he became the youngest All-Star starter.
One thing became clear in those first two seasons, no one worked harder, longer or prepared more than Kobe, who became one of the league’s premier scorers after Phil Jackson took over as coach in 1999. The Bling Dynasty was born a year later as Kobe and Shaq led the Lakers to NBA championships from 2000-02. It was Shaq’s fun-loving style and Kobe’ laser-like focus and killer instinct, which would lead to his “Black Mamba” personna. Kobe and Shaq achieved the Threepeat the Showtime Lakers never could. The Lakers could be down by 10 with 20 seconds left and TLI never gave up on them because we had Kobe.
A rift developed between Kobe and Shaq. They had largely different personalities. Kobe couldn’t understand why Shaq wasn’t totally dedicated to practicing and training like he was and Shaq wanted Kobe to enjoy the game more. Shaq was traded in 2004 and many wondered if Kobe could take to Lakers to another championship without him.
The Lakers traded for Pau Gasol in 2008, Kobe was selected the MVP of the league and the Lake Show made it back to the NBA Finals where it lost to the Boston Celtics. Laker Nation was hurt by the loss, but we knew Kobe was going to come back stronger than ever and he did. The Lakers won NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. Mamba was the NBA Finals MVP both times.
A sixth championship to match Jordan’s total eluded Kobe, who like Jordan played through injury and illness for most of his career. Injuries hampered Kobe in his final four seasons, but he still put up big numbers and came through with buzzer-beaters, just not enough to carry the Lakers to another championship.
It was hard to watch Kobe’s final season and TLI does not claim to have watched every game in 2016 when the Lakers went 17-65, but TLI did see his final game against the Utah Jazz when at 37 he became the oldest player to score 60 points in the Lakers’ 101-96 victory. What way to go out for one of the game’s most dynamic players.
Kids of this generation grew up watching Kobe make unbelievable shots or come through in the clutch against all odds so many times. There’s hundreds of videos on YouTube of people attempting the impossible and yelling out “KOBE!!!” as they do it.
It was awesome for us Kobe fans, seeing him enjoy his family and the next level of his life since his retirement. Kobe won an Academy Award for his animated short film “Dear Basketball” in 2018. He came out with the Wizenard childrens’ book series. He became an outstanding businessman.
He was coaching his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, and her Mambas teammates. You could tell how much joy and pride he felt while coaching Gigi.
Everybody in So Cal watched Kobe grow up in front of us, which made it even more sad when we got the news on Sunday morning that Kobe, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas. It felt like we lost a family member or little brother. There was so much more to come in Kobe’s second act and all the potential in Gigi.
TLI always inserts links to clips in its “Extra Star Power” features about the top softball players in the nation and often uses motivational clips from Kobe. That tradition will continue in the future to honor No. 8/24.
TLI and the rest of Softball Nation prays for Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, and three surviving daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri. Rest In Peace Mamba.
— Carlos Arias & Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball (Follow Carlos on Twitter @Los_Stuff; follow Brentt on Twitter @ExtraInningSB)
