The Last Days Of The Black Mamba

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We all knew it was coming but I still can't believe it's happening this soon.

Kobe Bryant, one of the best shooting guards of all-time and perhaps the best player of his generation, has decided that this will be his last season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In addition to the announcement of his retirement a few hours ago, the Black Mamba expressed his feelings about his impending departure from the National Basketball Association as a professional basketball player through two letters entitled "When We First Met I Was Just A Kid" and "Dear Basketball",.

Although Kobe Bryant's fierce and competitive nature suggests that he'd continue playing until the day he dies, it seems that the injuries, losses and abysmal performances finally got to him, forcing him to hang it up after this season.

If it was 2004, I couldn't care less. I hated this guy back then. At the time, I thought this guy was selfish and an egomaniac who'd rather drive a dominant center out of town just so the Lakers can become his team. I also disliked the fact that he was being compared by the media to Michael Jordan.

But with the passing of time, I learned to appreciate what he brought to the table and what he meant to the game. He is without a doubt one of the best scorers we've ever seen. After all, he did score 81 points in an NBA game, and that's the closest we've gotten to a Wilt Chamberlain-like performance in years.

His intensity and work ethic is unmatched. Words can't describe just how dedicated and passionate Kobe Bryant is about basketball. His letters speak for themselves. That is how most people would feel after realizing the thing that they've poured their heart and soul into for years has been completed. You could admire the impact of your work, but you wouldn't be thrilled that the thing you enjoyed doing for most of your life is finally over. And let's not forget that prior to his injury, he was able to keep in step with younger superstars like Lebron James and Kevin Durant, despite having a lot of mileage on his body. At his age, the only way Bryant could've done that is by taking care of his body and practicing religiously.

I also learned that some of my previous sentiments about this weren't guy completely accurate. It's really hard to be unselfish when you're a great scorer. Besides, it has been explained in "Kobe Bryant's Muse" it wasn't just about getting all the glory but more about relying more on himself rather than expecting people to get him out of a bind.

In addition, Shaquille O'Neal has said on record that his departure from the Lakers had little to do with Bryant and more with money. Furthermore, Kobe disliked Shaq for reasons other than becoming the face of the franchise. The way the big fella' tried to slap him during rookie year, as Stephen A. Smith recalls, kinda' rubbed him the wrong way and got their relationship off the wrong foot from the get-go. Shaq's laziness, among other things, added insult to injury.

And lastly, I realized that comparing him to MJ was the right thing to do. In a league craving for its next big star in the post-Jordan era, Kobe stepped up and reminded us why we fell in love with Jordan. First, he was a winner. He may have not won as much as MJ but he does have a fist full of rings. He's a two-time gold medalist in the Olympics to boot. He also participated and won a dunk contest like MJ. Scoring in bunches is another thing they shared, and the way Kobe did it was hauntingly familiar to that of Chicago Bulls legend. In addition to his scoring prowess, Bryant played great defense. He also boosted the popularity of basketball around the world to an all-time high. Kobe may not be Michael Jordan, and probably isn't as good as him, but someone once said he is his generation's Jordan and I couldn't agree more.

Love him or hate him, Kobe Bryant has done a lot for the game of basketball. His presence will be sorely missed once he leaves the game forever so let's cherish the moments we see him lace it up and heave forced shots one last time. And for those who still dislike him, as the song goes, don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got till its gone?

Reaction: Captain America Civil War Trailer

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After leaving audiences begging for more at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Marvel has finally released the trailer for one of the highly anticipated movies of 2016 on Jimmy Kimmel Live a few days ago.

In true Marvel fashion, the trailer for Captain America: Civil War treats viewers to well choreographed fight scenes, funny lines, explosions and iconic characters, including Black Panther, an important member of the Avengers in the comics and someone who has yet to star in his own movie, making his origins and role in future Marvel movies unknown.

Although it is a known fact that the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn't completely faithful with its adaptations of Marvel comic books, I'm a little disappointed with what I've seen in Civil War's trailer. Granted that the sight of multiple superheroes in one movie never ceases to please me, there are still a number of things that bothered me with our first look at the sequel to Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

For starters, it appears that the conflict in the movie revolves around Captain America protecting his friend Bucky Barnes, also known as the Winter soldier and played by actor Sebastian Stan, from the authorities. Considering that Civil War is a Captain America movie and not an Avengers movie, it makes sense to tie up all the loose ends concerning Bucky from The Winter Soldier. However, it kind of makes Cap a douche, which is totally the opposite of what he stands for. Because from what I saw in the trailer, it looks like Steve Rogers is willing to sacrifice the lives of innocent law enforcers, his other friends and his country in order to protect Bucky, who did commit crimes and broke laws even though he was brainwashed at the time. From what I know, Cap stood for justice and what is right, and what is right is he figures out another way to protect Bucky without risking the lives of other people. 

In addition, the reason for the Civil War in the comic books revolved around an incident that led to the creation of the Superhuman Registration Act, which requires the registration of any person based in the United States with super powers. The comic books focused on the effects of the bill on not one, not two, but almost every superhero in the Marvel universe, as well as their reactions to the said bill. Although the bill was mentioned in the trailer, it seems to me that Bucky is a much bigger deal than the Superhuman Registration Act, which kinda dumbs down the whole Civil War thing. If war is going to break out in the MCU, shouldn't it be largely influenced by something more than an assassin with a cybernetic arm?

By the way, have you seen the rest of the Avengers? Vision made his debut in Age of Ultron, we've been promised Spider-Man and Ant-Man was confirmed for the movie but none of them were in sight even though the biggest draw of Civil War was it was going to be a superhero fest. I'm fully aware that you can't fit all the characters from the comics into one movie, but it wouldn't hurt to show superheroes that are supposed to be in Civil War in its trailer, unless they've been reduced to minor roles and cameos. If that's the case, then this movie is going to be a major letdown since Spider Man played a huge role in the Civil War comic books.

On the bright side, the trailer doesn't tell the entire story. So far, Marvel has done a great job of creating original stories for the movie versions of its iconic characters, so it won't be surprising if Captain America: Civil War turns out to be a blockbuster hit. Whether it meets expectations or not remains to be seen, but come May 2016 I'll see the movie in the nearest cinema once it comes out because I'd rather judge it on the big screen alongside other Marvel fans.