People are slowly getting used to life without Kobe Bryant, but it's unlikely that the basketball world will revert to the same vibrant scene before his tragic accident. People miss Kobe terribly, and the change he brought to the game will stay long after he's gone.
As a celebration of his legacy to the game, this piece will list off some of the things he has done not only for the Lakers, but also for the entire basketball scene. In true Kobe Bryant fashion, we will list off eight of his biggest contributions to the game.
The shoe game changed because of Kobe Bryant
Before Bryant, a lot of basketball shoes were either high-cut or mid-cut due to the need to protect the ankles. Low-cut shoes don't offer that protection, so it's understandable why many of the league's stars opted not to wear low-cuts during games. However, Bryant made that cool and more.
According to GQ's Cam Wolf, one of the reasons why Bryant wanted low-cut shoes was as a nod to soccer cleats, one of the first sports he fell in love with. He thrived while wearing those low-cut shoes, and we all know that the greats sell shoes regardless of their style.
So every time you drool at the latest KD or Kyrie sneakers, you have the Black Mamba to thank.
Kobe showed how older players can still dominate
Whenever you think about players defying all sorts of logic, the first person that would come to mind is LeBron James. After all, he's 35 playing like 25. However, Bryant showed everyone how you can age well.
As his athleticism left him during the later years of his career, he changed the way he approached the game. He found a way to still be lethal as younger and faster bodies start to surround him. His clutch performances still continued to wow fans and critics until his very final NBA game.
There's a reason why he was called Vino in his later years: like fine wine, he just got better with age.
Kobe proved that you can have a dominant career through 20 years
Before Bryant, the thought of a basketball player leading a team for more than 15 years was preposterous. An athlete's physical peak leaves him around the early 30s, so it would make sense that a player's career back then would only last 15 years.
However, Kobe paved the way for future ballers. He showed that there's still a way to dominate the game even when your body is not performing the same way it used to. Bryant showed that a bit of creative thinking can help you thrive even late into your career.
Kobe Bryant gave us moments we'll remember forever
Eighty-one. Sixty-one. Sixty. Five.
These numbers take on a whole different meaning once you attach Kobe's name to them. They gave a lot of basketball fans throughout the league talking points that we will continue to talk about until the end of our days.
His 81-point rampage against the Toronto Raptors that fateful day in 2006 is easily one of the most incredible scoring performances the league has ever seen. His 61 point performance at the Madison Square Garden is just as memorable to New York Knicks fans for all the wrong reasons. His 60-point swan song against the Utah Jazz is one for the ages. His five championship rings secured his place as one of the best to ever lace 'em up.
These things will remind us of what greatness looks like.
Kobe Bryant raised the banner for women's athletics
After hanging up his sneakers, Kobe took to the clipboard, getting into coaching for his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. He became dedicated to helping the Mambas win as many games as they could and promote women's basketball.
The WNBA is still not level with the NBA when it comes to media attention. However, Kobe was among the people who were putting the league on notice, telling everyone that there's actually exciting basketball that can be seen in those games. He wasn't simply saying this because Gigi was destined for the league: he was a sincere believer to the women's game.
Per The Los Angeles Times, Oregon coach Kelly Graves called Kobe a “great voice and champion of women's athletics.” That was not praise anybody can simply get.
Kobe Bryant showed players that they can succeed outside the court
When you're a basketball player, success is usually counted on the championship rings you have on your finger. While there are certain factors that can negate that, a basketball player's legacy is tied to his rings. Kobe broke that wheel by bagging himself an Academy Award.
Kobe's beautiful short film Dear Basketball is the visualization of his retirement announcement cleverly packaged as a painful free-form poem. The storytelling was unique and poignant, things critics wouldn't expect to come from an athlete.
By winning such an important award, he showed his peers that they don't have to limit themselves to just being ballers.
Kobe Bryant made copying moves cool
It's obvious to everyone that Kobe Bryant was emulating Michael Jordan throughout his career. He didn't make any effort in hiding that he was chasing the ghost of arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. You can put a clip of him next to MJ's, and you will see that the moves are almost identical.
However, it's hard to argue against what Bryant did when his shameless mimicking of Air Jordan resulted in a Hall of Fame career. It's thanks to his own touch to the Jordan recipe that he's become this beloved icon.
In a league where standing out is an important asset as a basketball player, Bryant made copying another player's moves cool and acceptable.
Kobe Brant set a high bar on what Mamba Mentality is
Mamba Mentality is a way of life for many, but only a few have even come close to the level of obsessiveness Bryant had with the game.
Every waking hour of his playing career was dedicated to helping himself become a better basketball player. All of the medical procedures he went through, all of the extra hours in practice he took, his ability to play through pain; everything was for the sake of winning.
Bryant set an impossibly inexplicably high standard.
Kobe Bryant is the primary architect of the Mamba Mentality, and it's unlikely that we'll ever find another player with the same level of love and obsession he had for the game.
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