Rest in Peace Kobe Bryant 1978-2020

I'm not going to mention every person that passes on and the idea of death is inevitably awkward, but it does seem to mean a little bit more when someone relatively notable passes like professional athlete or celebrity - maybe because they are in the spotlight and as far as Kobe goes, someone who was supposed to be larger than life.

A player's untimely passing makes me think for a moment about the times I've objectified these players as performers on the field, generating statistics I pore over on a day-to-day basis and guys whose autographs I have or don't have in my collection - at the end of the day, professional athletes are just like anybody else with their own lives.

I never collected his cards seriously or actually got his autograph in-person and maybe the closet thing I got from him was a glare when trying to take his picture leaving a baseball game with family - Kobe was the biggest deal for the longest time, even through his mess ups and feuds with a notable teammate on his own.

Featured autograph - Jerry West

The only non football autograph in my PSA/DNA submission was a TTM signed card of NBA legend Jerry West - it may only be a card I randomly sent at some point within the past 15 years, but I'm amazed it came back to me signed, because I've always associated The Logo as a sporting great who may not have signed autograph requests.

A shout-out to an outgoing great - Kobe

With Kobe Bryant's career spanning through the entirety of my adult life up through this point, he was a pretty big deal - when he was making improbable shots on the court a reality, when he was winning championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and had built up this persona of a world beater who was relentless in his chosen profession.

Because Kobe's Laker teams had decayed over the last 4-5 years as his health had deteriorated - maybe it's easier for him to leave the game now, instead of struggling to hang on for a little bit longer with no apparent pathway to a championship, much less winning, competitive seasons.