3 Things to Learn from Kobe Bryant, Roy Halladay’s Passing
1. Appreciate greatness while we still can
It’s easy to forget just how good Halladay was in 2010 and 2011, when the Phillies had other All-Star caliber pitchers in the rotation, including Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.
It’s not without question that Phillies fans loved Halladay and tuned in each time he took the mound, but at the time, did we really take into account of just how great he really was?
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On the all-time list, Halladay ranks 44th in career WAR for pitchers (65.4), 110th in wins (203), 19th in win-loss percentage (.659), 80th in bases on balls per nine innings pitched (1.938), 71st in strikeouts (2,117), among other feats. He truly was one of the game’s best that it has ever seen.
Likewise, we saw and appreciated Bryant for his accomplishments on and off the court. But, it’s important for us to look at his similar accolades: an 18-time All-Star, two-time NBA scoring champion, five-time NBA Finals champion, 15-time All-NBA nods, 12-time All-Defensive nods … and the list goes on.
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In commenting on him achieving success, Bryant said in a Showtime documentary, “When you make a choice and say, ‘Come hell or high water, I am going to be this,’ then you should not be surprised when you are that.”
Bryant continues, “It should not be something that is intoxicating or out of character because you have seen this moment for so long that … when that moment comes, of course it is here because it has been here the whole time, because it has been [in your mind] the whole time.”
In retrospect, when Bryant and Halladay were at the pinnacle point of their careers, and even post-career, we could have and should have appreciated them more … not just for what they gave to us as sports fans, but as humans as a whole.
2. Never take life for granted
Bryant and Halladay’s playing days were over, but their greatness was just getting started.
Their deaths are a reminder that life is not guaranteed, even for those who seem unbreakable such as what the former Lakers and Phillies stars were at the peak of their careers.
We should realize that if we want to do something, say attend a sporting event, we should, because there’s no guarantee we will have the same opportunity down the line.
Chiara Gizzi writes that the only reason people “adopt complacency towards the beauty that surrounds us” is that they are caught up in their minds and “therefore fail to actually see it.”
Rather than being in the moment, Gizzi says that we are often too busy thinking about the next place we have to be, what we are going to eat for the next meal, or “what someone said to us a day, a week, a month or even a year ago.”
Gizzi continues, “All of this mental chatter pulls us away from the beauty that lies in the present, and causes us to become disgruntled and unappreciative. We lose touch with our gratitude and we end up taking things for granted, almost by accident.”
Had we lived more in the moment, we would have appreciated Bryant and Halladay more for who they were as athletes and human beings. There are plenty of other athletes, that while not close to greatness as what Bryant and Halladay achieved, they come close. Several play in the City of Philadelphia currently. We should appreciate them for who they are and for what they provide.
It is important that we live in the moment each day, as tomorrow is no guarantee.
3. It’s more than just a game.
Athletes on the court or on the baseball diamond face similar battles as we do in life.
If they have a flat tire, they have to find a way to get it repaired in enough time so it does not affect their schedule for the rest of the day and week. Similar to Kobe’s situation, if their daughter has a sporting event she need to get to, they have to find a way to get there on time.
It’s OK to be upset after a loss, or thrilled after a win, but the next time we “boo” an athlete on the field, we should take a step back and realize that they are just as human as we are. These players are not statues on the field. They are actual people with emotions who feel the highest of highs and the lowest of lows just as we do.
Bryant once said in a Showtime documentary, “There’s a choice that we have to make as people, as individuals. If you want to be great at something there is a choice you have to make. We can all be masters at our craft, but you have to make a choice.”
He adds, “What I mean by that is, there are inherent sacrifices that come along with that — family time, hanging out with your friends, being a great friend. being a great son, nephew, whatever the case may be. There are sacrifices that come along with that.”
At his Wall of Fame induction ceremony speech, Halladay’s wife, Brandy, said, “I think that Roy would want everyone to know that people are not perfect. We are all imperfect and flawed in one way or another.”
“We all struggle, but with hard work, humility and dedication, imperfect people can still have perfect moments.”
Rest in peace, Kobe and Roy.