Letters to Kobe

Dear Kobe,

Though you are apart from us, you continue to be amazing.

You are glorious. You are righteous.

For a huge part of my life, you have served the purpose of instilling faith in me. The faith I needed to help me believe in my own abilities— to rise against the norms and fight with a greater purpose. A purpose to succeed in a life that society has not made valuable for you and I.

You had an innate passion, a talent, for basketball. You were naturally gifted and the raw talent you possessed paved the way for you to be great with successes pouring into your life shortly after. I know, without a doubt, that you put in an ample amount time and effort to perfect your craft and when it got tough—you did not head for hills. Instead, you fought against the grain. You believed in yourself enough to pick that basketball up one more time instead of walking away in the face of defeat. It takes strength to carry on, dust yourself off, and try again. You taught me that.

You taught me to strive for greatness with the humblest of intentions—to enjoy the process and learn something new along the way. You taught me how to build courage and how to persevere in spite of the negativity I might face. I’ve learned, from you, how to motivate myself and how to look fear straight in the eyes and take the shot.

It will never be the same without you, but please know that your life-lessons will never tarnish or fade because the impact you had on me, a poor kid from Long Beach—I will carry them for a lifetime.

I took this picture of you and your family some time ago during a Lakers Day Parade. It was my first time being there and I wasn’t expecting to see you. Unfortunately, I had this impression that you were too busy living your life to dedicate a few hours to seeing your fans. Maybe you had urgent “daddy-duties” or family matters to tend to. No one could ever fathom the life of Kobe Bryant and all that it encompasses.

I wasn’t expecting much that day...

—

You proved me wrong. There you were—fist clenched and held high. My eyes widened and I was completely starstruck that you were there, right in front of me. My teacher was right in front of me.

Of course, I had to snap a photo of you for my memories and in that moment, I felt connected to you. I felt as if we shared the same “ah ha” moment in that short, yet, significant sliver of time. As if we had both come to the realization that we, as black kings, could rise above the oppression. That we could rise against all odds. That we could rise into greatness—even when doors got shut in our faces. That for every “no” we were told and every “you can’t do this” that they tried to sear into our minds—we drowned out with “YES WE CAN!” That for every loss, there was a win and for every miss, we had landed a shot.

I raised my fist—clenched tightly and pointed straight to the sky— in hopes that you would see me in the distance.

And even though you didn’t see me, I knew that the universe connected us in that moment.

From that day forward, I cherished that picture because it reminded me of the day that I got to see a king—in all of his glory, give back to his people in a subtle, yet, impactful way. Your fist, held up high, symbolized power—the power to build your own foundation and create your own future. A beautiful future of opportunity— where the possibilities are endless!

I will always carry a piece of you in my heart and you will live on not only through my memory, but through everyone whose lives you have touched.

Rest easy, beautiful black king.

And for you Vanessa,

This picture, to me, serves as a fond memory of an enjoyable experience. For you and your family—I want this picture, along with this letter, to restore happiness and hope.

To be completely frank, I was planning on framing this picture and selling it online to pay off my debts. I also need the money to have some emergency funds to take care of myself on my journey to Oregon in the near future.

However...

It doesn’t feel right for me to have this picture when truly, it deserves to be with you. I’d like to give you the original picture as a gift and hope that you too can feel the power behind it. Plus, you guys all look happy together and that is what is important to remember as we get through this rough patch. You have the right to be happy for your family, for your husband, and most importantly, for yourself.

❤️

With love and eternal gratitude,

Teva Jenkins