When you think about California basketball, the first thing to come up should be the Los Angeles Lakers and over the last 20 years, it has been consistently one man that came to mind. Kobe Bryant.
Kobe’s final game is on Wednesday in a home contest, fittingly against the Utah Jazz, a team that has been his rival on and off for so long. Now as the end of his career nears, Kobe has gotten many tributes but none are quite as memorable as this one.
When you think about California hip hop, a few names come to mind over the last 20 years but as of late, there is one name that’s been dominating the scene for the left coast and that man is Kendrick Lamar.
Combine Kendrick, the lead track from his ‘untitled unmastered’ album with Kobe and sprinkle in a little inspiration and writing from the legendary Scoop Jackson and you have the fantastic video, courtesy of ESPN, entitled ‘Fade to Black’.
Here’s the full text of the poem.
What can I say? I mean, really? What can we say? Day by day, season by season, 20 to be exact. Growing up watching him paint murals, using this building as his first studio, using L.A. as his canvas, restoring crowns back to where they belong, under royal banners. Purple and gold, the color of royalty. My one-man L.A. king: Kobe. Never meaning less could never mean less, and that’s what he means at this moment. All season has been his goodbye. Him to us, us to him, to the whole world.
Still got magic, but he made it magical. From Compton to Crenshaw, Jack to Jeannie, we were all witnesses, to all things that was him. I mean, we share with him the world. Soon enough, he became our identity. If you wasn’t born or raised here, or never lived here, you’ll probably never understand. I’m going to make sure you do. I’m talking about the 81 points, I’m talking about the afro, I’m talking about the alley-oop to Shaq, the off-glass buzzer beater over D-Wade, the Game 4 overtime takeover in the Finals: Kobe. I’m talking about the posterizing of Steve Nash, I’m talking about Dwight Howard’s rookie year when he got baptized. You remember that. Kobe bodied him. [laughs] The helicopter, the five parades, Kobe.
The mashed-up gamut of emotions with you and with ourselves is so deep, I don’t think nobody can break that bond. So I ask, how do empires last when there’s no longer an emperor? I mean, we got you, but at the same time, we got you. I’m talking about your blood, your sweat, your tears, even your DNA, is placed in these L.A. concretes, man. And nothing will ever replace that or erase that. Forever great in our hearts. So with that being said, know that it’s never goodbye, simply respect due. My dude, forever, Kobe.
