The first time I saw Kobe Bryant in person was in the mid-2000s. I was in High School and I was obsessed with basketball, as was my perpetual state.
I babysat a girl once a week and developed a friendship with one of her mothers. Like so many of the bonds I’ve made in life, ours was through basketball. We talked hoops every time I showed up.
One day she told me she was getting us tickets to a Warriors game. Maybe it was for my birthday, maybe for Christmas, maybe just because.