Kobe time

The decade is coming to an end just as fast as this semester is dwindling down to finals. It seemed like yesterday the Y2K bug was going to ruin our lives, evidently that bug bit Tiger 10 years later. When I think about the world of sports this past decade so many images and events race through my mind that is all too saturated with thoughts about finals, grad school and random things relating
to Colorado.
Within my mental mash-up of queries, stresses and day dreams, one man does stand out when I think of an athlete that seems to define this wild and wonderful decade. Who is this man? Tiger Woods, the most unsuspecting party animal ever? Peyton Manning, who seems to be on every channel I flip to?
None of the above. The man who defines this decade of sports to me is my childhood idol, my main man, the guy who I ride and die with: The Black Mamba Kobe Bryant. Kobe defines
the decade of wackiness, redemption and reconciliation. The Lakers won the ring back in 2000 and won another the next year and oh yeah, another the year after that (Sorry San Antonio Fans, a 3-peat is what defines a real dynasty).
Kobe went from a scrawny high school kid to a marketable and undisputed champion by the tender age of 23. In an era where the young and talented dominated headlines and jersey sales, Kobe was the headline and whatever he did was the news.
I remember how sick I felt when he made the news for the wrong reasons in 2003 for committing adultery. But Kobe couldn’t define this decade of scandal in sport without being involved in his own sideshow. This was followed by claims of him running Snaq (no, not a typo) out of town and then the trade demands.
So, what do you do when your image is tarnished and some overweight has-been is talking smack about you? You keep your mouth shut.You work hard. You build back your image bit by bit. You become a bit more marketable, you reconnect
with the Zen master, you score 81 points, you put up with Kwame and Smush. And you know what? Your good karma pays off and you get a present called Pau Gasol.
Kobe was down and out and climbed back up the mountain. In an era of redemption, Kobe is the Andy Dufresne of his Shawshank. In a 10 year period where athletes have become polarizing
figures, Kobe Bryant is loved and hated. But what has been constant in these 10 years of Kobe-mania is his play and work ethic. Kobe Bryant plays the game the right way, just like other players that defined their decade. Although we enter a new era, great players are timeless