Kendrick Lamar rend hommage à Kobe Bryant

Kendrick Lamar a rendu un dernier hommage à Kobe Bryant, qui jouera son dernier match mercredi soir.

Dans la nuit de mercredi à jeudi, Kobe Bryant jouera le dernier match de sa carrière, et se retirera des parquets de la NBA une bonne fois pour toute. Une légende qui a marqué son époque et qui manquera à beaucoup. Parmi eux, un certain Kendrick Lamar. Enfant et dorénavant superstar de Los Angeles, le rappeur de Compton a rendu un vibrant hommage dans un poème écrit par le journaliste d’ESPN Scoop Jackson, mis en scène dans une vidéo intitulée Kobe Bryant: Fade To Black.

Avec pour musique de fond « untitled 07 », issue de son dernier album, King Kendrick décrit son idole comme la fierté de Los Angeles, l’ADN des Lakers, quelque chose que «rien ne pourra jamais effacer ou remplacer». Dans la vidéo, nous apercevons le rappeur marcher dans les halls du Forum d’Inglewood, l’ancienne salle des Lakers, celle où Bryant a joué les premiers matches de sa carrière en 1996. Les images poignantes retracent les 20 ans de carrière de l’un des plus grands joueur de Basket de tous les temps. A 37 ans, Kobe Bryant décide donc de prendre sa retraite, laissant derrière lui un palmarès impressionnant et légendaire.

La vidéo et le poème sont à retrouver ci-dessous.

« What can I say? I mean, really? What can we say? Day by day, season by season, 20 to be exact. Growing up watching him paint murals, using this building as his first studio, using L.A. as his canvas, restoring crowns back to where they belong, under royal banners. Purple and gold, the color of royalty. My one-man L.A. king: Kobe. Never meaning less could never mean less, and that’s what he means at this moment. All season has been his goodbye. Him to us, us to him, to the whole world.

Still got magic, but he made it magical. From Compton to Crenshaw, Jack to Jeannie, we were all witnesses, to all things that was him. I mean, we share with him the world. Soon enough, he became our identity. If you wasn’t born or raised here, or never lived here, you’ll probably never understand. I’m going to make sure you do. I’m talking about the 81 points, I’m talking about the afro, I’m talking about the alley-oop to Shaq, the off-glass buzzer beater over D-Wade, the Game 4 overtime takeover in the Finals: Kobe. I’m talking about the posterizing of Steve Nash, I’m talking about Dwight Howard’s rookie year when he got baptized. You remember that. Kobe bodied him. [laughs] The helicopter, the five parades, Kobe.

The mashed-up gamut of emotions with you and with ourselves is so deep, I don’t think nobody can break that bond. So I ask, how do empires last when there’s no longer an emperor? I mean, we got you, but at the same time, we got you. I’m talking about your blood, your sweat, your tears, even your DNA, is placed in these L.A. concretes, man. And nothing will ever replace that or erase that. Forever great in our hearts. So with that being said, know that it’s never goodbye, simply respect due. My dude, forever, Kobe. »