7 years in the making

This post has been 7 years in the making, ever since that 3-peat from 2000-2002, being a Lakers fan has been a roller coaster ride at best.

Dear Kobe,

You're an awesome player, probably the most complete player in the game offensively and defensively. You proved the doubters wrong, those critics, those haters, they just wouldn't drop it. Just like you said, it was like chinese water toture. Going back to 2008, when the green confetti fell from the ceiling at staples centre in game 6, I thought it was the end. Those Celtics were a team to be dealt with for years to come, and although injury to KG hindered the Celtics this year, this is a year for the Laker fans.

Let's go back to 04, the year with GP, Mailman and Shaq. That was supposed to be the year, but then there was the rape case. And let's face it, you effed up, big time. Laker fans stood by you while everyone in opposing stadiums were booing and taunting and calling you a rapist. But that was alright, cos you were Kobe, and you never let it affect your game. Slowly, you regained your fan base outside of Los Angeles.

Fast forward to summer of 07, and you demanded to be traded. That was the breaking point for a lot of your fans, we stuck through your crap, and now you want to leave. Opening night that season, you were booed by your own crowd at Staples Centre ... but we didn't mean it, we just wanted to send you a message.

June 2009, NBA Finals, averages of 32pts, 5rebs, 7 asts per game. Undisputedly, a dominating performance in the finals. Like Lamar Odom said "If Kobe wanted to be the best point guard in the world, he can". The only real blemish on this title was the fact that Dr Jerry Buss sent his son (Joey, I think?) to accept the trophy from commisioner David Stern, and he sounded like an ass (no offense). People have often criticised you for being guarded, tense, and even fake. But in that interview with Stuart Scott, the fans finally got to see the real you, and I'm sure the burden of winning a championship without Shaq has been lifted. And finally, to see the jam packed crowd at the Colisseum (click here for video) for the Laker's victory party was a sight I thought I wouldn't see for a long time.

Thanks for giving an old fan fresh hope.

It's great to hear the Lakers are still hungry for more championships.

p.s. looks like Bill Walton leaked some old family photos. Somewhere in the midst of his partying, Luke Walton is blushing.

Side note to Phil Jackson, you are a God among men, some say you're the reincarnation of Buddha ... I'm starting to believe that's true.

And finally to all those Orlando, Cavaliers, Detroit, Celtics, Nuggets, Rockets, Jazz, Mavericks, Bulls, Hornets fans out there ...

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"If you've lost somebody,

Put a lighter in the air"

There are 2 things that many people fear. The first is to lose a loved one, the next is the fear of becomming irrelevant after death. In my case, both these questions have almost equivalent Which brings me to the question, if I died tomorrow, would you remember me? Have I done enough in my time here to create a lasting impression?

Ofcourse your closest family and friends will always remember you, as with colleagues and acquantances. But what about the wider demographic? Will children walk past my grave and not even be curious enough to read what's on the gravestone? Or will they turn to their mother and ask who I was. Is that mother going to be able to come up with an answer, or will she simply say she doesn't know. Or will people one day walk past my grave and say "Yep, he made a difference"

By the end of your time on earth, you are either a hero or a statistic. I do not want to become a statistic, I need to be remembered for making an impact and immortalised in memory. R Kelly has his music, Kobe Bryant has his basketball legacy, Ken Duncan has his photography, and Tutankhamun has a pyramid. I need mine ...

The priest from a funeral I went to today made a very interesting point. On every gravestone is your birth date and the date of your death, separated by a hyphen. Which means all the events that happened between the day you were born and the day you passed away, is represented by - ... How does that make you feel? In my lifetime I could have solved world hunger, redeveloped the urban environment to make it more ecofriendly, single-handedly stopped cyclones and tsunamis ... and that hyphen will still be there, a single stroke representing the period of my existence.

I'm not ready to go, nor am I ready to let anyone go ... and I'll strive towards that immortality for as long as I'm able. By the way, no hyphen for me, no dates either ... I'd much rather be an enigma, a mystery, a legacy.

p.s. If I end up achieving some of the things mentioned in the post, I'd like my own pyramid :)

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