At Last

It was in the summer of June 2000 when I was watching Dexter's Lab, when my father, who was probably harassed by the sight of a bizarre-looking wide-eyed amateur scientist who just happened to be a cartoon character, along with his nonchalant relationship with his ever-jolly sister, got the Sony remote control that was landing in my innocent lap, stated: "Di naman maganda yang pinapanood mo, puro lang kalokohan, dapat sports pinapanood mo (That show you're watching is not good, just stupid stuffs, better watch sports)"

Then came my first encounter with a Spalding ball, a bald-headed 7-foot monster, and a No. 8 guy who just caught my "goldfish" attention and suddenly I can't blink. "Bryant" as was in the back of his jersey, was starting at the top of the key, and a certain "Pacers" player was guarding him, and he was just dribbling and dribbling for about 5 seconds. And then came the best play I've ever seen then. It turns out his name was "Kobe", as the game announcer said, and after 5 seconds of dull dribbling, he went to his right and crossed-over his primary defender, only to find himself with another (a help) defender, and he continues the dribble and took two quick steps, from the free-throw line to the front of the ring, and blew by past two defenders using his off-hand to separate himself against the 2nd or help defender and jumped so high enough that his face was paralleled with the face of the ring and just threw down a power-filled monster jam that just shook the whole arena and brought frenzy into what had been a quiet start. And that was just in the first quarter of what was called the "NBA Finals".

I stood up and jumped both in disbelief and amazement at what had just occurred right in front of my eyes, my father calm as a tourist on a sweet vacation in a breezy beach. I got so hooked up with the game that I realized 2 hours had already passed and I haven't eaten my "merienda" yet. I forgot eating because of one out-of-this-world play, it was replayed in slow-mo and there was just perfect artistic beauty watching that kind of move. Kobe. Kobe. Kobe.

This was the best sports I would have put myself into if ever I were to abandon "patintero", "piko", and "sekyu-base".

Then I started watching the Los Angeles Lakers ever since. I've watched them earn 3 straight championships. I've seen Shaq and Kobe fight. Phil with Shaq and Kobe fight. I've seen Shaq going out as a Laker, Bynum coming in, Lamar Odom, Maurice Evans, Brian Cook, Vladimir Radmanovic, Sasha Vujacic, Devean George, Jordan Farmar, Kwame Brown, and Smush Parker, all becoming a big part of the Laker history. After a Shaq-less season, they struggled, and Kobe was bearing such a heavy burden along with such "useless" teammates. Imagine a starting 5 like this: Smush Parker, Kobe Bryant, Luke Walton (young years then), Lamar Odom, and Kwame Brown.
3/5 of the Lakers starting lineup would have been 3rd-string rotation players on another team. Yet Kobe made Smush Parker and Kwame Brown look like superstars out there. And when Smush started bickering out with Kobe, he left the Lakers, played with the Heat for at least 30 games, and was never heard again. The same happened to Kwame. Uh.. wait.. Kwame Brown? Kwame Brown? Who the heck is that?

81 points, the second most points by an individual player in the NBA, probably the best scoring outburst in NBA History.
Then came a time when Kobe averaged 40 points per game in a month, made 50+ points in 4 straight games and many more.

Then came the February of 2008. I've been through this Laker teams with their ups and downs, their Jekyll and Hyde showing in them. It was February 2, and I was awakened by a sudden pour of text messages, all of them with the same word "Pau Gasol was traded to us. Championship trophy here we come". My reply? "Hell yeah!!!!!!" I shouted in my room and was just so energized, thinking, "Here we are again!!!" The parades at 18th and Figueroa , the popping sounds of an opened celebratory champagne. The familiar jersey Lakers at every opponent's arena. "Here we are again"


I've waited for this moment. Where we would be as dominant as ever. Where we would be hoisting championship banners, unlike most of the NBA teams hoisting division and conference banners.

I've longed for this moment. 7 years of waiting. 7 full years of watching this Laker team grow and mature and become solid players.

This is the time I've been waiting for.
Forgive my stories, I don't even know what to type but I just felt like typing and typing and typing.
I'm jumping now and I'm crying.
This is their 4th championship ever since I watched them play, ever since my father took away "Dexter's Lab" into my head and started inserting the "Sports" label into my life.

At last! At last! The sweet-smelling savor of a Larry O'Brien trophy.
The wait is finally over.
Kobe gets his 4th ring and Jackson his 10th (yes, you heard it right, one in every finger).

Olympic Medal. All-Star game MVP. Championship ring. Finals MVP.
Kobe Jellybean Bryant.

The man I adore, the man who made me watch that friggin' NBA.
And now we're on to No. 15 in the rafters!

No. 16 next year!



Adios.
A Lifetime Laker Fan.