The Final Score: Yolanda’s reminder for Kobe Bryant - a 'bad' first game really isn’t so 'bad'

On the day he launched his new basketball shoe, four days before his first game back for the Los Angeles Lakers, I had five minutes to chat, face-to-face, with Kobe Bryant.

Bryant gave me more than just five minutes.

He gave me five seconds.

Let me explain.

You remember that now-famous photo of Yolanda survivors playing basketball? It’s the one with a man in a red shirt, yung follow-through pa niya parang pang-Larry Fonacier, shooting a fade-way jumper over a shirtless opponent wearing jean shorts and the now-just-as-famous neon green belt. Yung medyo kahawig ni Raymond Almazan. The image went viral on Twitter and Facebook faster than a Jayson Castro fast-break.

Do you remember?

Of course you do.

Kobe posted that photo on his Instagram account two weeks ago with the caption:

Find Peace thru Sports. #Love

It was seen by close to 2 million followers.

It has been “liked” 171,674 times.

It has generated 2,489 comments.



“You seemed to have been moved by that image,” I said. “What impact did that photo have on you?”

“It had an immense impact,” Kobe replied. “It shows…”

Kobe paused for five long seconds. Sometimes, a five-second pause can convey more raw emotion than a twenty-five-word sentence. He grit his teeth. He clenched his fist. He looked away as if he was zoning in.

Not zoning out.

Zoning in.

Reporters and photographers huddled inside the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Los Angeles. They stood so close to Kobe they could clearly see the veins on his hands and arms. Yet he seemed unfettered by the crowd.

Kobe paused to access a distinct part of his psyche. He was digging into a deeply personal zone. He was tapping into something elemental, visceral. He pursed his lips and slightly shook his head. Like he was revisiting a specific emotional reaction. Like he knew where to find it in his hard-drive of a brain. Like it would take exactly five seconds to search for the reason.

“I was very, very moved by it,” Kobe admitted.

Why did he post it on Instagram?

Why did he pause in mid-sentence?

Why was it such a poignant image?

Kobe continued, “It shows several layers (his voice breaks) of emotion that kind of went through my mind. One of them being that even in the darkest of times, where they escape to try and find some type of peace, to take their mind off what they’re doing and it’s through sports.”

We were no longer talking about his injury.

We were no longer evaluating the playoff chances of his team.

We were no longer weighing his legacy.

We were talking about life and death and tragedy and survival.

“You can see them still having an upbeat spirit and still playing and competing and enjoying themselves even in the worst of times,” Kobe (who was spiritedly moving his arms so much I was afraid he was going to accidentally smack my voice recorder to the floor) said. “So now you have to look at yourself, we all do. We should look at ourselves and say, ‘You know what - we’re having a bad day. But are we really having a bad day?’”

 

Four days later, Kobe finally played his first NBA game since tearing his Achilles tendon last season. It wasn’t a good night for the Lakers. They lost. It wasn’t a good night for Kobe. He shot 2-for-9 and committed 8 turnovers.

Bad game?

It’s fair to answer, “Yes.”

Bad day?

Yolanda survivors reminded Kobe that a bad game or a clumsy start to a great player’s comeback or a loss to the Toronto Raptors or having just one of many trying nights for a middle-of-the-pack team does not equate to a bad day.

“These kids are out there smiling and playing basketball in the absolute worst of times,” Kobe added. “So we’re not allowed to say we’re having a bad day.”

Some have irrational faith in Kobe. They believe he’ll be just as good as last year – before the injury. They believe he’ll be just as good as he was in 2010. They believe he’ll be better than ever. Age suggests that he might never be the same. Natural science dictates that he’ll be a step slower. Yet I can understand why they display such devotion. What is sports fandom without irrationality? Down by 20? We can still win! Up against a championship contender? We can score the upset! Irrationality fuels inspiration. Right?

I wondered. What if one of the guys from that photo, maybe the guy with the Larry Fonacier-like follow-through or the guy who could block jump-shots like he’s Japeth Aguilar, admired Kobe for what he popularly symbolized. What if one of these Yolanda survivors loved basketball so much, he sought inspiration from competitors like Bryant.

You survive the worst.

You pray for the best.

Can a firm belief in Bryant even help?

“Many survivors are basketball fans and some of them are inspired by you,” I said. “How can ‘mamba mentality’ be connected to what a lot of Filipinos are going through right now? How does ‘mamba mentality’ help them in tough times?”

“Because it’s about perseverance,” Kobe answered. “It’s about perseverance. It’s not about…(there was that five-second pause again)…success. It’s not about being great. It’s about perseverance.”

Kobe, who has this habit of biting his lips whenever he talked at length, said the word perseverance so intently he bit his lip harder than he usually does. Like he poured is heart into every syllable.

A bad game doesn’t equate to a bad day. Kobe was recently reminded of that. He tallied nine points, eight rebounds and eight turnovers in 28 uneventful minutes. He was rusty. He wasn’t the same. He might never be the same. But in the irresistible documentation of Bryant’s legendary stubbornness, witnessing a loss to the Raptors wasn’t really the point. It was far from being the point of our pro- or anti-fascination with Kobe Bean Bryant. It wasn’t about starting slow. It was about coming back.

[Related: Kobe returns, but Raptors beat Lakers 106-94]

Kobe paused for five seconds in mid-sentence because he was reminded of the most life-altering brand of perseverance. He was moved by an image, moved in a way no basketball highlight could ever match. His voice quivered. His thoughts traveled all the way to a place of hope and ruin, to a place where tenacity led to survival.

[Related: Kobe, Lakers ready for bumps during star's return]

“It’s about having a goal. If you get knocked down, you get up,” Kobe added. “You got to try again (he slapped the palm of his left hand for emphasis). You get back up and you try again (he slapped the palm of his left hand again). And you know it’s like eventually, you will get to where you want to go. But you got to have the perseverance and dedication to get there.” - AMD, GMA News