Mamba Forever. Thank you Kobe

By now you've heard all the stories and retold memories of watching Kobe Bryant. It has been a somber trip down memory lane as the sporting world comes to grips with the tragic death of the Lakers legend, his daughter, and seven other people in a helicopter crash Sunday.

There is a story about me that few people know. It is a story that I want to share with you now, a story that centers around Kobe and how I will be eternally grateful to him in healing an old wound. The wound? My love of basketball.

Growing up in a state that loves basketball (mostly college) it felt natural to fall in love with the game. I spent most of the 1990's in numerous gyms and recreation leagues playing whenever I had the chance.

As I grew older, I began to follow sports more closely. I initially found myself rooting for the "hometown" team. It was a team that entered the league two years after I was born and filled with promising stars to lead them into the future. I'm referring to the Charlotte Hornets.

I have always been someone to root for a team rather than a single player. Players move on through trades, free agency or retirement but teams remain.

My dad was the opposite. He was always a fan of players like Roger Staubach or Fran Tarkenton. It wasn't until later in his life as his mind changed becoming a fan of the Carolina Panthers. I never thought of finding out his reasons for his own fandom but what I did appreciate was how he always let you do your own thing and root for whoever you chose.

By the turn of the century I had become disillusioned with the game I had loved and watched religiously. The rumblings started and only picked up steam as the owner of the Hornets, George Shinn, wanted a new arena in the city. The nasty side of business reared its ugly head and it soon became a standoff. Naturally, relations soured and gradually the team fell out of favor with the city.

By 2002 the Hornets were gone and I had closed the door on my love of the NBA and almost on basketball itself. The situation showed me the nasty side of the sport and it turned me off of it completely. My love of UNC slowly brought me back around to the game.

The NBA? I didn't care for at all.

However, one glimmer of hope showed up, something that connected me to the early years of the Hornets when I lived and breathed the NBA. I could give you random trivia about many players and teams. My parents used to joke I was a sports encyclopedia.

What was this last chance at redemption for the NBA? Kobe.

He had already won multiple championships with the LA Lakers and cemented himself as one of the great players in the NBA. What made it different now? Simple: I remembered where it began.

I connected back to being a 10 year old watching the 1996 NBA Draft. I watched as a 17-year-old walked across the stage as the newest Hornet. I wanted to learn everything I could about this guy from Philadelphia, and I tried.

Unfortunately, that knowledge on Bryant was wasted. He was traded a week after the draft. The rest, as they say, is history.

In Bryant I watched a player who gave it all on the floor and took no prisoners. He called himself the "Black Mamba," an alter ego he created for himself on the court. Inspired after watching "Kill Bill," Bryant created the persona to separate the personal and professional life.

Because of the Hornets connection I slowly became a fan of the player, not as much the team, in the same sense as my father. I loved watching his tenacity and demeanor when he took over a game. He gave it his all when he stepped on the court and you could count on it.

I watched in amazement as he scored 81 points in 2006, and fought for 15 rebounds in the 2010 NBA Finals. Whether he was on or off he always put forth 110%. It was almost expected that he would perform every night and leave it on the court.

I could sit here and talk about the highlights and accolades Bryant earned, but I won't. The average fan should know the MVP award, Olympic medals, championships, and numerous other awards he earned over the 20 years he competed. My appreciation of him came from his tenacity and competitiveness in the game. He held nothing back, including teasing the Hornets after a name change.

The world lost a man who meant so much to so many. He was a husband, father, son, brother... he has many titles. He wasn't perfect, as many will state. He was a human being. There was so much potential lost Sunday as Bryant seemed primed for big things post retirement.

We can't forget the others who we lost with him. Three kids, along with parents, simply making a trip to a basketball game, all taken so suddenly and tragically. I don't know when I'll be able to wrap my head around the fact that he's gone.

I never met Kobe or even thought I would have the chance too. But I will never forget the help he gave in healing a wound that I once thought would never be repaired. I've fallen back in love with the game fully and gradually became a Lakers fan as well. Some things never change.

I'm leaving you with an animated short film that Bryant won an Academy Award with. It's touching and shows just the talent the man had off the court.

Thank you, Kobe. Mamba Out.