Farewell: A Kobe Bryant Documentary

dumps it home as he goes baseline wow  yeah that right arm, it's just there   this is your shoulder the ball and  socket the deltoids removed okay   heads facing this way and there's those  four muscles for your cuff there's one here   two three four unlike these previous mri and your  ultrasound that you had a couple of months ago   this is pulled off torn and pulled off  number three right in this area okay   This just in, kobe bryant has a torn  rotator cuff that's according to the la lakers   the the the end is near and and the end doesn't  feel very good to me it doesn't it does it doesn't   feel very good yeah there's no last hurrah  here right i i don't well it's unfortunate   on the surface there isn't anything beautiful  about this story an athlete going into his   20th year fighting back the grip of father time  trying to leave the game he loves on his own terms   his body was failing suffering three straight  season ending injuries that had kept him off   the court and in the seemingly endless cycle  of rehab everyone had an opinion his best years   were behind him why not just give up now why  keep showing the world what they already knew   kobe bryant would never be the same but in this  moment from the depths of what should have been   the ending emerges one of the most powerful  examples of resilience you'll ever see kobe had   spent over half of his lifetime being the standard  of resilience by this point the stories of his   4 a.m workouts and obsessive repetition and  training had become something of legend the mamba   mentality was a direct contributor to the already  long list of accolades that decorated his career   five-time nba champion third all-time  in scoring mvp there was no questioning   kobe's ability to outwork everyone else this  however was a different type of challenge   what stood in front of bryant wasn't a  field of nba stars looking to take his crown   it wasn't the ghost of past nba legends whose  legacy he was chasing no what stood in front of   kobe bryant was a reflection of himself overcoming  this would require him to approach his final   season in a way like never before and in turn  become one of his most memorable accomplishments after months of speculation on november  29 2015 kobe bryant released an article on   the players tribune announcing to the world  that it would be his last season in the nba   i mean you know i've known for a while right and  i've always said you know if anything changes   you know then you know i'll change my mind but you  know the problem became for me it's uh you know   it what does that really mean i mean  a decision like this you can't allow   you can't make that decision based on you know  outside circumstances it has to be an internal   decision and and finally i just had to just accept  the fact that i just i i don't want to do this   anymore you know it's and i'm okay  with that and uh you know once i um   accepted that then it became time to just  let everybody know i mean why not it's just   it takes a load off my shoulders and everybody  else's and i think it's just the right thing to do   the announcement was met with a huge media  buzz as not only had kobe been beloved by   lakers fans but had been a staple at the top of  basketball's biggest stage for over two decades   prior to the first home game after the  announcement 18 997 fans were met with a   sealed black envelope containing a printed  copy of the letter beginning a season-long   cycle of giving and receiving as well as  birth what would become kobe's farewell tour   the first stop fittingly came in philadelphia  where brian had grown up as a kid in the stands   of the spectrum watching his father play alongside  sixers legends and later became a household name   as a phenom out of local lower marion high school  over the course of his career he had many battles   with the hometown 76ers including a classic  battle with allen iverson in the 2001 nba finals   philadelphia showed nothing but respect to  the greatest player to ever come out of their a city guard from lower american high school  where he won the tunnel in 1996 number 24 kofi throughout the season every stop the lakers  made each team would come up with their own   way of thanking bryant for his contributions to  the game from video tributes to unique gifts the   atlanta hawks collaborated with the atlanta zoo to  have the name of their black mamba snake changed   to kobe the chicago bulls had long time teammate  and friend of bryant pal gasol announced his final   introduction in the united center one of kobe's  greatest rivals the boston celtics would give him   a framed piece of the parquet floor allowing him  to take with him a physical memory of the battles   that had taken place there over the years perhaps  the most meaningful of all these tributes came   on december 28 2015 when prior to the lakers game  against charlotte he was met with a video message   from none other than his childhood hero and  mentor michael jordan i think uh when i look back   and the first time we actually played against  each other in the competitive drive that i saw   within your eyes even though the knowledge wasn't  quite there yet it was very invigorating and i'm   very happy to to leave you this message to  say how much you know we are very proud of   what you've accomplished over the years as i  said a couple weeks ago it's your last year   just have fun take a day at a time enjoy it and  look forward to seeing what you do after this   while the gifts and tributes were all  memorable the reality was that beneath   all of the celebration kobe was battling through  one of the hardest physical seasons of his career   the past 20 nba seasons and countless hours  of work had taken a toll on brian's body   and his last year was more than enough proof  that his time on the court was running out   after enduring months of rehab to recover  from his torn rotator cuff an injury that   left him unable to shoot a basketball for  months the 37 year old was now facing the   challenges of trying to play an 82 game season  this location's hurt yeah and he had a you know   there's different degrees of dislocations and  if you you could see my face i really had to   put a lot of traction on that to get it back in  place that's how dislocated it was and he was   as tough as he is he was writhing in pain so  if you see kobe writhing in pain then you know   it hurts i know i put it in as soon as i  did you could you could just see that his   pain went away anybody else would have still  been in pain but he he walked right back on the   court yeah he's yeah before i could even tape it  because i wanted to tape it he was already gone   kobe would strategize with the lakers medical  staff to make a plan that would allow him to   accomplish his two main goals for the season  playing in his last game in every visiting arena   and being able to play the last 13 games of the  year consecutively doing this was no easy task   as he was still fighting aggravation in his  right shoulder from surgery the past summer   and had begun developing soreness in his right  achilles something he took seriously after tearing   the other in 2013. even though there were games  where he could barely walk to his car afterwards   thanks to the efforts by the medical staff whether  it be wrapping him up in ice during his time on   the bench or giving him treatment on off days over  the course of the entire season bryant missed only   16 games for recovery and other minor injuries  kobe was determined to give as many fans across   the league as possible the opportunity  to see him play during his final games   and while he was only a shell of the  player that had once captured their love   and hate bryant still had a glimpse of  what made him great left to show the world despite shooting a career-low percentage  due to fatigue and physical setbacks   bryant showed flashes of a vintage mamba over  the course of the season reminding the world   of his killer instinct on the court and bringing  crowds of purple and gold kobe jerseys all over   the country to their feet one example of this came  during an early december game against washington   where he would catch fire in the fourth  quarter finishing with 31 points and   hitting back-to-back jumpers to put the game  on ice and he is kobe for three unbelievable kobe bryant knocks down another three in scorpio   in his final game in boston brian had struggled  starting out the game shooting 4 for 17 from the   field but in a way that only he could he came  alive in the closing moment draining a dagger   3 to halt the celtics comeback after hitting the  shot rather than being showered with booze as he   had been so many times in his career cheers rained  down from the td garden crowd the celtics faithful   chanting kobe's name and respect for the years  of legendary battles between the two franchises   one of the most memorable moments of the season  came on february 2nd 2016 against the minnesota   timberwolves where kobe would be facing off with  a familiar opponent following the tragic passing   of then wolves coach flip saunders former  coach of the year sam mitchell had been   named the interim head coach for the remainder  of the season mitchell had been the head coach   of the toronto raptors for years prior and just  so happened to have been on the losing side of   kobe's historic 81 point performance in 2006 and  on this night kobe would raise his game to vintage   levels throughout the back and forth contest  kobe had 24 points entering the fourth quarter   staying aggressive and looking more fresh than he  had all season then just as minnesota would take   the lead with five minutes left and it seemed  like the wolves would walk away with the win   kobe bryant stepped back in time he would hit  back to back go ahead threes followed by eight   points in the last 26 seconds to seal the win for  la the staples center was electric with every fan   in the building on their feet and the basketball  world reminded of the awe-inspiring performance   that brian was capable of however not everyone  was enjoying the nostalgia after witnessing kobe   drop a then season high 38 points and knocked  down seven threes coach mitchell didn't hold   back after the game saying quote i hate him if  i don't ever see him again it won't be too soon all-star weekend had always been kobe's moment  from the time he stepped into the league and   stole the show at the dunk contest as a rookie  bryant had been a staple in the festivities   that showcased the league's best and 2016 would  be no different racking up more all-star votes   than any other active player including soon to  be unanimous mvp stephen curry it was clear that   this year would be a celebration of the 18-time  all-star kind of sad for me to think that this   is your last all-star game how about you no i  mean you know it's uh it's exciting i mean to   be able to play for this many years and be around  so many great players for all these years it's uh   it's a beautiful feeling to be able  to have this the game is in good hands   prior to the game the nba would present kobe with  a video tribute that captured all he had meant   to the event over the years bryant would play  minimum minutes in the contest contributing 10   points along with six boards and seven assists  but for the fourth time all-star game in vp   the moment was more than stats the rosters were  filled with guys of all ages some that had been   heated rivals over the years and others that were  young players who had grown up idolizing brian   just as he had done with greats before  him this dynamic made the opportunity to   play alongside the league's best one final  time something that kobe would never forget   in a way it defined what made his last season  so memorable representing the impact he had   made on the game he loved something  that transcended multiple generations one of the most unexpected but memorable aspects  of kobe's final season came not from his play   on the court but the impact that was left by him  off of it while kobe's game wasn't as polished as   it had been in his prime his mind was as sharp  as ever and just as he had picked the brain of   his heroes like michael jordan as a rookie the  league's young players were eager to learn from   the game's best it started with young talent on  the lakers like future all-star deangelo russell   and julius randle who were dedicated to gaining  as much knowledge as possible from bryant then   as kobe began making his final rounds across the  league more and more of the future generation of   the game began to approach him whether it be phone  conversations text messages or autographed shoes   after the game players all over the league were  hungry to learn prior to this bryant had never   been seen as a mentor he had gained a reputation  across the league as a fiery competitor who spared   no feelings in order to get results however  as the season rolled on kobe accepted the role   and in turn planted seeds in many of the game's  future stars that can still be seen to this day the 20-year career kobe bryant came to its  closing chapter on april 13 2016. the buzz   around los angeles was as big as it had been all  year with the staples center decked out in purple   and gold banners setting the stage for the mamba's  final performance from the moment kobe announced   his retirement fans had been preparing for this  night and everyone from die hard lakers fans to   the top celebrities wanted to see what he had  in store kobe they're doing a big celebration   for you the last game a lot of us are going to  be there can you promise me one thing what's   up i need 50 that night can you do it last home  game at the staples can you give us 542. uh no   no absolutely not all right as the game went underway a noticeably eager  kobe got off to a slow start missing his first   five shots however this was kobe's final test and  he wasn't gonna walk off the court until he had   emptied every ounce of gas out of the tank over  the next two hours in true kobe fashion he would   launch 50 shots from the field not only trying to  make a statement but also on a mission to carry   the lakers to one final victory midway through  the fourth quarter he would score his 45th point   passing the record for the most points in a  final game trailing by 10 with 236 remaining   kobe would single-handedly take over the  game bringing the crowd to their feet as they   witness bryant transform into the player  that had been the face of the game   for over 20 years down one with 32 seconds on the  clock everyone in the world knew what was coming   down next will kobe give them one last  gamer brian on the move with the jumper   58 points and the lakers lead kobe would drain two free throws at the  end of the game to give him an nba record   60 points in his final game and seal one last  victory in his career before walking off the   court kobe would address the staples center crowd  then exit into the tunnel for the final time man all i can do here is just thank you guys thank  you guys for all the years of support thank you   guys for all the motivation thank you for all the  inspiration you guys will always be in my heart   and uh i sincerely sincerely appreciate it no  words can describe how i feel about you guys thank   you thank you from the bottom of my heart god  i love you guys and uh i love you guys and mama sports center zuma mahanti on mike lee's breaking  news in this sunday afternoon five-time nba   champion former league mvp kobe bryant died  earlier this afternoon in los angeles in a   helicopter crash news reports are just coming in  it happened this morning the chopper reportedly   went down just before 10 a.m local time according  to fire the fire department out there in calabasas   california that's northwest on january 26 2020  kobe bryant his daughter gianna were involved in a   fatal helicopter crash around calabasas california  the tragedy shook every person who learned the   news resulting in an outpouring of emotion from  every corner of the world the following days   weeks and months were filled with mourning as  fans and players alike across the nba paid their   respect to one of the game's biggest icons  to this day it's hard to believe he's gone   very few athletes in the history of sports were  able to connect with fans in the way kobe was   able to whether you spent your time chanting his  name or hating him for what he did to your team   you couldn't help but have the utmost respect  for a man who was willing to give everything   he had to his craft this is one of the greatest  lessons we can take from his life no matter what   your occupation is or what you call your passion  whether it be simply loving family or chasing a   dream you can be successful if you commit yourself  to giving everything you have perhaps the best   example of this came during his final season  in the nba there was nothing glamorous about   it between the fatigue of a 20-year career and an  aging body that felt like it was on the verge of   giving out he was visibly exhausted and struggled  to perform on the same level that fans had become   accustomed to but rather than stop he chose to go  out on his own terms proving one final time that   he had the mental control to accomplish anything  regardless of what the rest of the world thought   was possible when kobe bryant walked off the  court at the staples center that final time it   represented more than the end of a legendary nba  career it represented the capability we all have   to tackle even the most impossible of challenges  it isn't easy it isn't pretty but it's worth it you

Channel: Trice

Views: 326,635

Rating: 4.9301529 out of 5

Keywords: Kobe Bryant, Kobe Bryant documentary, Kobe Bryant short film, Kobe Bryant tribute, Kobe Bryant death, Kobe Bryant movie, Kobe Bryant highlights, Kobe Bryant last game, Kobe Bryant farewell tour, Kobe Bryant top plays, Kobe Bryant Interview, Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant motivation, Kobe Bryant last season, Kobe Bryant dunk, Trice, NBA, documentary, basketball documentary, sports documentary

Id: UBSHdz_gX3A

Length: 21min 18sec (1278 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 25 2021