NBA: How would Kobe Bryant Hall Of Fame speech look like?
Kobe Bryant hasn’t been inducted into the Hall of Fame just yet, but if he was, how would his acceptance speech sound like? Here’s what comes to my mind:
Remembering Legends
I wonder how many people expected a second round pick to end up here. I guess I played ok. Jokes apart, this moment is an absolute honour for me. It is however true that I would have never gotten here without some people’s help and influence.
Jerry West. What can I say about Jerry? The Logo. The man who brought me to the lakers. I have no idea what he saw in me that no one else in the NBA did. He adamantly demanded I be brought to LA and I am forever grateful to him. I learnt a lot from you Jerry, thank you.
Phil Jackson. He called me uncoachable once, he called me the biggest test of his patience. Well the truth is, Phil has been the biggest influence in my life ever. Period. Yeah, we clashed. We clashed a lot. But somehow through that, a mutual respect seems to have developed. Every championship I won, has Phil Jackson standing on the sidelines. Thats not a coincidence. He is the greatest coach ever. Its been an honour playing for you Phil.
Legends. Michael, Magic, Larry, Elgin, Dr J... all these guys. I grew up watching tapes of them playing in Italy. I was always a laker fan. A huge Magic Johnson fan. So when Magic and Michael met in the finals, I was rooting for Magic. But then I saw Michael.
Man, it annoyed me how much people compared me and him. But looking back I guess its true in some way. The reason though is not because we are similar, the reason is because I took a lot from his game. More than anybody else’s. But let me state something here. Michael according to me was the greatest to ever play the game. I, just tried to be the best player I could be. And I believe I did that.
Word on teammates
My Teammates. ( laughs ). Well... this should be fun for you guys. The first teammate I gotta thank, that would be Shaquille O Neal.
Man, what a ride its been with that guy. Nobody can take this away from us, we both were the best one two punch ever, in the game. In 2002-03 when we played the nets in the Finals, nobody could stop Shaq. Shaq was a beast in that period and our strategy was always to throw the ball to him. I guess a lot of friction started between us because I wanted to compete. I didn't want to remain the team’s second option. I believed I could be the best and that's always been my motivation. But having said that, I do wish now, looking back I handled some things differently.
Derek Fisher.. what can I say about Dfish. all Five championships, Dfish has been there alongside. Often the voice of reason, always a player with heart, Dfish doesnt know what fear means. He lives for every moment. I have never ever felt any qualms about throwing the ball to him in a tight situation, cause he will always deliver when you need him most. A brilliant leader in a locker room, he earned my respect and I loved sharing my locker room with him.
Pau Gasol. If I could choose my brother, it would be him. Pau Gasol was the gigantic missing piece in a small jigsaw puzzle that completely changed the outlook of our team. He is one of the smartest basketball players I have ever met and his IQ and professionalism really brought our guys together. We had a hell of a run. Without him and the incredible Metta World Peace there would never have been a title 5.
I have always lived to play this game. It has taught me a lot, given me a lot and taken some things from me too. This game is not easy. This game is not something you can just wake up to and get to it. There's plenty of hard work involved just to stay competitive, let alone stand out. My advice to anybody who wants to be listed, don’t slack. Don’t do just enough. Reach for the sky, become the best. Its totally worth it.