Dear Basketball
From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
I knew one thing was real:
I fell in love with you.
A love so deep I gave you my all —
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul.
As a six-year-old boy
Deeply in love with you
I never saw the end of the tunnel.
I only saw myself
Running out of one.
And so I ran.
I ran up and down every court
After every loose ball for you.
You asked for my hustle
I gave you my heart
Because it came with so much more.
I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called me
But because YOU called me.
I did everything for YOU
Because that’s what you do
When someone makes you feel as
Alive as you’ve made me feel.
You gave a six-year-old boy his Lakerdream
And I’ll always love you for it.
But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.
This season is all I have left to give.
My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.
And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we haveleft together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.
And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner
:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1
Love you always,
Kobe
致我最愛的籃球——
小時候
我穿著爸爸的直筒襪，
想象著
在西部大論壇球館
投球獲勝的樣子
當時我就真切的知曉：
我愛上了你
傾其所有地愛上了你
我給你我的心靈和身體
給你我的精神和靈魂
六歲的我
深深愛上了你
我未曾想過結果
只是執(zhí)著地
不斷前進
不斷奮斗
我在籃球場揮灑汗水
只為爭取得到你
你告訴我要動作敏捷
我將自己的一切全心全意獻給你
因為你給予我的太多
我在汗水傷痛中堅持著
并非因為我想挑戰(zhàn)自己
而是因為你在召喚我
我的一切只為你
因為你即是如此
你被賦予了生命，
正如你賦予我生命
你成就了一個六歲孩童的湖人夢
至此我永遠愛你
但我無法繼續(xù)迷戀你
我的心能夠承受打擊
我的意志能夠戰(zhàn)勝煎熬
但我的身體知道，該說再見了
很好
我決定放手
現在我想讓你知曉
這樣我們便可珍惜剩下的時光
我們都曾帶給對方
甜蜜和痛楚
我們共同擁有
你我都明白，不管今后我做什么
我依舊是那個
穿著老爸的直筒襪
瞄準角落里的垃圾罐
離進攻時間還有0.05秒
手中握著籃球
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1
永遠愛你的，
科比
