Dear Kobe Bryant,

NOVEMBER 29, 2015

(Please read to the tune of “Time” on Inception Movie Soundtrack)

You are passion personified. 

You are the bald-headed kid with the maroon Lower Merion uniform. 

You are still Brandi’s boyfriend to me. 

You are the Adidas Crazy 1 “spaceship” shoes I bought for little league. 

You are the Adidas “Crazy 8’s”.

You gave me swagger when I balled up kids at the playground.

You told me to get up when I fell.

You give more meaning to Ice Cube’s “Today Was a Good Day”.

You are the air apparent. 

You are the uncanny similarities to Michael Jordan's basketball moves.

You are the “Kobe Fro”.

You are The Forum. 

You are Staples Center. 

You are Madison Square Garden. 

You are a main reason why I went to LA for college. 

You are the reason why I just bought NBA league pass.

You let your work speak for itself.

You are a representation of never.giving.up. NEVER.  

You are NOT your 4 air balls that led to the Lakers elimination in the 1997 Playoffs against the Jazz.

You are NOT Shaq's shadow. 

You are NOT Colorado, in July 2003.

You are NOT a ball-hog.

You do NOT scare free agents away from the Lakers.

You help me believe we are not our mistakes.

You are triumph over struggle.

You helped me and my dad get closer. 

You helped me cope with my dad’s death by winning back-to-back championships. 

You are a father figure to me.

You taught me to harness my raw emotion as motivation.

You are a Hollywood star.

You are a global superstar.

You are the NBA’s dark knight.

You are more than 5 rings. 

You are “The GOAT”. 

You are purple & gold. 

You are the 4th quarter. 

You are the step back, fade away jumper on the top of the block.

You taught me to fight through the pain, the hate, the naysayers.

You are a hero for young boys and grown men alike.

You are the hugs, the high-fives, and the smiles at the sports bars in Downtown LA. 

You are the thrill of a buzzer beater. 

You’ve made fans cry tears of joy.

You’ve made opposing fans cry tears of complete hatred and scorn.

You made me a Laker fan for life.

You represent the unapologetic pursuit of dreams. 

You are a visual representation of poetry in motion on the court. 

You are the love of basketball.

You are basketball. 

You are love.

You are the Lakers.

You are LA.

You are the Black Mamba.

You are Vino.

You are basketball fine art.

You are fearless.

You inspired me to do everything humanly possible to achieve my dreams. 

You have, currently, and will forever continue to serve as a reminder of courage in the face of scrutiny. 

You are the player of the decade.

You will be a Hall of Famer.

You are top 5 all time.

You will have your number 24, and maybe 8, in the rafters.

You will have a statue at Staples Center.

You are Natalia, Gianna, and Vanessa Bryant. 

You will continue to inspire me and all fans alike to fight for what we want.

You help me believe in what I want to do.

You help me believe in myself.

You will play your last game on April 13, 2016. And I will be there.

You are passion personified.

Dear Kobe Bryant,

Thank you.

From Christian Virgil Reyes, all Laker Fans, all Basketball fans, and the world.