FROM KOBE’S FACEBOOK: Have any of you seen the...

1:29 pm - Mon, Sep 3, 2012: 164 notes

FROM KOBE’S FACEBOOK:

Have any of you seen the film “Rudy”?

I first saw it when I was 15 or 16. The story gave me the biggest jolt of inspiration of any film I have ever seen.

If Rudy could accomplish that without being blessed with the physical talent to play football at that level, then what could I accomplish if I worked as hard as he did? After watching that movie, I decided that I would always work as if I’m the

last man on the team that had everything to prove. From that point to this day I have been doing exactly that.

I met the real Rudy by chance last season on the court prior to a road game vs Sacramento. His daughter just so happen to be singing the national anthem that night. He had no clue what an inspiration he has been for me over the years. It was great to finally meet him and share with him what a great influence his story has had on me.

This morning I received a copy of his book. It dives even deeper into his journey. I share this with you in hopes that it might ignite in you a similar passion as it did for me. It doesn’t matter if you play sports or not. Determination, belief, perseverance, passion etc.. Will elevate you to your goal no matter what the goal may be.

Mamba out.

Needless to say, I’m obsessed with Kobe Bryant’s Facebook. I don’t even have a Facebook, but I’m considering signing up for one just to follow him. I’ve employed a legion of twitter followers to keep me constantly updated on whatever Bryant posts, and after reading the latest addition above, two things are of note:

I loved Rudy and used it as inspiration to get into college. I also met Rudy, and had him autograph the movie poster, which hangs framed in my childhood bedroom to this day. He wrote “To Neil - Never Quit! Rudy Ruettiger.” Kobe and I would probably be best friends.
Even though I can’t get enough, I think I preferred it when Kobe didn’t have a Facebook.

Despite strangely feeling “closer” to athletes I follow on twitter (and I totally understand the raw stupidity of that statement), Kobe’s updates don’t have the same effect. I think it stems from the fact that, with Mr. Bryant, the truth is a bit more boring than my imagination.

I always assumed Kobe was alone, in a gym, rebounding his own shots, because he has no friends.

I liked assuming Kobe eats glass at every dinner.

I sort of enjoyed assuming Kobe has a wall full of mounted antique, Japanese weaponry, each of which he compares, in effectiveness, to one of his own offensive basketball moves.

I wanted to assume Kobe keeps a photo of LeBron James in his bedroom - like Rocky did with Ivan Drago - except instead of using it for fuel, Kobe sets it on fire every night, in some sort of weird ritualistic slaughter, then has to print out a new one every morning off his top-of-the-line HP Laser Jet.

I assumed he celebrated the Dwight Howard trade by banging out another set of pull-downs for his lats, then ordering a new set of joints on German eBay (or Deutsch eBay, for all my Germanic readers).