Mamba

I made this piece back in 2020, a couple days after the tragic news that Kobe Bryant and 8 others including his daughter passed away in a helicopter crash. Just a week prior I was watching highlights from his 81-point game and 60-point retirement game.

I played a lot of basketball growing up and was always a huge Suns fan, particularly during the Steve Nash era, and as a kid I couldn't stand Kobe–not as a person but as a rival competitor to the team I loved. He was the Suns killer, and always found a way to knock us down when our hopes were high.

As I've gotten older, seeing all the good he's done on and off the floor has made me appreciate Kobe not just as a competitor, but as a sincere, inspiring human being. It's so true that you never really know the impact someone has on you until they're gone, and though I had never met or known him personally, that Mamba Mentality has always been something that inspired me.

I wanted to celebrate Kobe the only way I really know how, with a little side project.

Rest in power, Legend 🐍💜