天之聪教育 2020-02-27 网络 1770次
Speech by Diana Taurasi at the Memorial for Kobe and Gigi Bryant
Staples Center
February 25, 2020
My name is Diana Taurasi. Thanks, Jimmy, you stole my first joke. I am the White Mamba.
I would first likely to offer my deepest condolences to all the families who lost a loved one. In 1996, I was a lanky, awkward freshman in high school, obsessively shooting night after night in my driveway. On the nights the Lakers played, I wouldn’t miss a second of the game. Every time out, every commercial, I’d run to the front yard to imitate my favorite Laker, Kobe.
On a few lucky occasions, my dad would come home from work. He was a metal sheet worker in Los Angeles, and he’d come home with Laker tickets. Watching Kobe play at the Great Western Forum as a rookie made this little girl believe she could be a Laker one day. It was like getting to know myself every single day. He made it okay to play with an edge that border-lined crazy. Early-onset Mamba mentality was in full effect.
Years later, when I spent time with Kobe at the 2008 Olympics, I learned firsthand that it just wasn’t limited to the basketball court. His competitive fire ran through his veins, just like many of us today. Every single workout, I end the same way with the Kobe game winner, 3 hard dribbles going right, left foot plant pivot, swing right leg through, elevate, square up, follow through. Five in a row and I got to go home. It’s that exact same shot that won us a championship in Phoenix in 2014.
Kobe’s willingness to do the hard work and make the sacrifice every single day inspired me and resonated with the city of Los Angeles. We struggled together, we grew together, we celebrated victories together.
The same passion we all recognized in Kobe, obviously, Gigi inherited. Her skill was undeniable at an early age. I mean, who has a turn-away fade-away jumper at 11? LeBron barely got it today. But it was her curiosity about the game that was pushing her to pick up the basketball every single day. Gigi was in the midst of the best times as a basketball player’s career: no responsibilities, no expectations, just basketball with your best friends. Every weekend was a new adventure, an opportunity to learn how to work and grow together as a unit. As a young kid, there’s nothing you look forward to more than long hot summer days in the gym with your homies. The same way Kobe inspired a generation of basketball players, Gigi interned Kobe’s interest in coaching and teaching the game. I’m sure I’m not the only one who received the text from Kobe asking what drills they were doing when they were 13. Gigi, in many ways, represents the future of women’s basketball – a future where a young woman aspires to play in the WNBA, the same way I wanted to be a Laker. Gigi already had goals to play for Yukon. That in itself showed her fearless mentality. She represents a time where a young girl doesn’t need permission to play. Her skill would command respect.
The last time I saw Gigi, the Mambas were in Phoenix for a big A.U. tournament. Kobe brought them to the locker room to watch practice. I always remember the look on Gigi’s face. It was a look of excitement, a look of belonging, a look of fierce determination.
As a daughter, a sister, wife and mother, we embrace Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka and Capri. We promise to carry Gigi’s legacy.
Kobe, Gigi…
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