An ode to a hero.

There comes a time when a star fades into the blackness and the unequivocal, never-ending, infinity of space. I refuse to believe that Kobe Bryant is a fading star. Regardless of whether or not he returns, regardless of whether or not he is the same player, Kobe Bryant cannot and will not ride a white horse into the sunset of retirement. The feats and accomplishments of his career is not legendary. They transcend legendary. Immortal, ungodly, otherworldly, descriptions most can only dream of matching, but they do not do Kobe justice. The pure joy this man brought to my city, my family, my friends and me cannot be put into words. How often does an athlete become one of the earliest and clearest memories of a man? Kobe dunks on mere mortal and right after, my father turns to my seven year old self and says, "Watch number 8. He's going to be good." Oh pops, how wrong you were. Good? HA! More like great, more like... like... like... indescribable. To the people who do not and will never understand why sports are so important to some I say this. What makes you happy? What stops your hear and then starts it again within seconds? What brings your friends together? From the 6th grade all the way to the end of high school, my friends and I would watch every playoff game with with a pepperoni and sausage pizza. The only playoff game we missed was the game six against Boston in 2008 and that was because we were graduating. Even then, on what was arguably the most important day of our young lives, the score updates were passed around via whispers and text messages. We have built up a purple and golden statue of this deity and he deserves every bit of praise delivered to his larger than life image. God has said "Thou shalt not worship false idols." Well God, take a message. There is nothing false about Kobe Bean Bryant.