very rough first draft for Kobe video I want to do

Dear Kobe,

I didn’t know you personally. I didn’t watch every game. I didn’t read your book or watch all of your interviews.

But your life has impacted me more than you probably know.

When I see you, in clips, photos, and interviews, I see someone who squeezed the juice out of life at every moment. You squeezed out every last drop. You lived life to the fullest.

You did everything with the most fierce passion. And it was so obvious, everyone could see it on your face.

You never gave a shit what people thought about that. You came into the world years ahead of everyone, whether that’s with basketball or film.

Instead of backing down to critics saying “you need to learn the ropes” before you can excel, you charged in with an attitude of “I will do this myself”, “I will do it my own way” and “I can do it better than the best”.

We live in a world of cliches. You hear “Follow your dreams” everywhere, but you rarely see anyone doing it. When you talk about your dreams, it is often met with eyerolls and people talking smack behind your back, and jealousy.

But to explain it in your words, you have no choice but to follow your dreams “if they make you feel as alive as you do”

You showed to the world how much you loved the game, and that intensity rubbed off on the rest of the world. It showed millions of kids and adults what it means to find the thing that you’re truly passionate about.

You taught me the value of focus and hard work. Even with so much raw talent, you worked harder than anyone else. 

You were in the gym by 4am, you got 2 extra hours per day of more work than other athletes, and you did that for years. All that added up over time is the difference between you and others. That taught me the value of compounding.

I also want to thank you for what you taught me about acceptance. When you retired from the game, you had accepted it.

You knew you gave the game 110%, every day, since you were a kid. You could look back with no regrets, no “what ifs”.

This inspires me to work harder, to understand what it means to give my projects everything I have. It inspires me to do more, to be the best.

It reminds me that the only important thing you can do in life is be the best person you can be, every moment of every day. You can’t look back, only forward.

No matter how old you are, what defects you have in your body, you can only move forward with a smile on your face.

Kobe, you are different than most people. It’s clear that your goal in life is to inspire other people. To build a better future. You never cared about the fame or the money. 

You cared about winning, but winning was just a vehicle to inspire more people. To show them that anyone can win and be the best, with the Mamba mentality.

And that inspires me to inspire others. We may not see it today, but over years of “doing the right thing” we can inspire millions. 

Be an example, work hard, and share your knowledge with others, and expect nothing in return.