Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant announced his intention to retire from the game of basketball on November 29th, 2015 with a poem he had written. Titled “Dear Basketball”, it was published on The Player’s Tribune website and explains how he was finally ready to let his lifelong companion go, and announced to fans that the 2015-2016 season would be his last.
Bryant has credited certain role models he looked up to, referring to them as his muses, with legendary composer John Williams being one of them. on Friday night, Bryant shared the stage at the Hollywood Bowl with Williams, reciting his poem while Williams and his orchestra played.
Video of the Kobe’s performance was uploaded on Youtube via user Calvin Johnson. Additionally, Bryant shared his amazement of the event via his Twitter account:
Never thought I'd be on stage w/ the great JOHN WILLIAMS @HollywoodBowl to perform the #DearBasketball animated short. Thank u LA #mindblown pic.twitter.com/NryTKovJuU
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) September 2, 2017
Since before Bryant’s retirement, the Lakers have been searching for their next superstar. For two decades, the franchise had him to fall back on, knowing that his star power could keep them in contention.
Now, they are attempting to build around a core of young players led by rookie point guard Lonzo Ball and second year forward Brandon Ingram. They are also banking on landing a pair of stars next summer in free agency, and have been making moves to help free up the cap space necessary to do so.
Of course, even if the Lakers are able to land stars the likes of LeBron James and Paul George, it would be tough for them to ever mean quite as much to the Los Angeles fan base as Bryant did (and still does). With five championships won, Bryant will always be Lakers royalty and fans will treasure opportunities to see him on nights like this, as he grows beyond the game of basketball.
