Nirav Desai staff writer
Isaiah Freedman staff writer
 
Dear Kobe,
 
The game won’t be the same without you.
We followed you for our entire childhoods
And now we’re the same age as you were
When you were just a rookie,
Just a kid out of high school.
 
You barely even played in your first few years.
People doubted you, and even made you doubt yourself.
They’ll always bash you, but you stopped letting that matter.
 
The only thing that has mattered, you said it yourself,
“Friends come and go, but banners hang forever.”
 
You’ve grown so much
And fallen so many times.
Watching you get up was a treat.
Enough to make us expect the same
Over and over again.
So even when your achilles shattered
Our dreams never did.
 
81 points was heroic.
62 in three quarters was breathtaking.
61 at Madison Square Garden was unreal.
35.4 points per game in ‘05-’06 was dominant.
20 years in LA has been the epitome of loyalty.
17 All-Star appearances is incredible.
5 rings in one decade was legendary.
 
Everybody talked about how you lost your last three seasons to injury.
It’s sad that it took such sad news
For them to talk about how you came,
Conquered
And will be
Remembered forever
 
Your career has been one for the ages.
Cherish your last ride,
And we will too
Because the game won’t be the same without you.
 
Love you always,
Just some kids in high school.