The writing's been on the wall with Kobe Bryant the whole time, but the way it's coming to an end is unfamiliar territory.
Those who loved Kobe Bryant called it his will to win. It got him cheered in arenas worldwide, as the Black Mamba drove young Chinese fans into hysterics just as easily as he would in downtown Los Angeles. These fans looked at Kobe and called it an indomitable confidence, a belief that there was no feat he couldn't accomplish as long as he kept working hard with unparalleled diligence. "Relentless" is the word that most easily comes to mind, which often most aptly described the onslaught that Bryant would unleash on a nightly basis.