I watched the recorded replay of Kobe’s tribute late last night and it was simply beautiful in the manner in which it was done. Vanessa Bryant, Michael Jordan, and Shaq all shared with the world some very special memories of Kobe the man off the court.
Michael’s role as Kobe’s surrogate older brother was incredibly touching giving us a view to a more private side of Kobe through the years.
Shaq was Shaq. The line about passing the ball and the letters M-E being in team was hilarious.
But mostly it was Vanessa who floored me with her intimate portrayal of Kobe as a father and a husband. She shared what I thought were some very private thoughts of her journey in life with Kobe from her high school days up until his death.
She floored me when she mentioned how like the characters in ‘The Notebook’…Allie and Noah—they were so much looking forward to their days as grandparents at some point while growing old together.
Are you kidding? Kobe Bryant was watching The Notebook with his wife. I mean, for us chick flick savants the classic love story by Nicholas Sparks of the relationship between Rachael McAdams’ character and Ryan Gosling’s character is epic. I’ve actually moved it up on my list of great chick flicks in recent years.
I have The Notebook at No. 3 on my Pantheon of Greatest Chick Flicks. My wife got me addicted to Nicholas Sparks and we’ve seen every Sparks novel adapted to film ever since.
It doesn’t surprise though really. Kobe was a books and film kind of guy and that’s what in his final years drew me much closer to him as a fan than I was to Michael.
Somehow…just because I now know The Notebook was their film it’s refreshing to me and something which will keep me even more connected to the legacy of Kobe Bryant. Kobe loved Quinton Tarantino movies and Nicholas Sparks love stories just like me.
If you haven’t seen The Notebook—I would strongly advise you take the time to watch it. It will soften your heart in these turbulent times in which we live.
Can’t wait to see you again, Kobe.
This is for the memory of Kobe and Vanessa. Who would have known…Mamba loved The Notebook.