Dear Kobe: A song in 8*24

All good things come to an end

Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest, most popular, and most intriuging basketball players of all time announced his retirement at the end of this NBA season a few days ago, via a poem entitled ‘Dear Basketball’ on The Players Tribune.

Here is my song for Kobe.

Dear Kobe

Are you Philly? Rieti? L-A?

High School phenom to NBA.

‘96 the year you made yours

Then came the dunks and the airballs.

You emulated the Greatest

(But so did everyone else, yo)

You nearly became The Airness

(And no one else could come close, yo).

Shaq came, Phil came, and then success.

One ring, two ring, three rings, you blessed.

Could’ve won many more, it’s true

Two of the finest, what a waste.

Alpha Dogs, pulled apart, too soon.

“Kobe, tell me how my ass taste?”

Then came the court case, and Shaq’s gone

You were the most hated, bar none.

You turned hate to flames. Ignite!

Scored like a beast damn every night.

Eighty one. Eighty one? Eight-ONE!

MVP. More rings. You ain’t done.

More points than MJ, and five rings.

Beat by Father Time, of all things.

I now know who you are, your name,

You are the Court, the Ball, the Game.