It’s impossible to fantasize what Kobe Bryant would’ve said at his Hall of Fame speech Saturday night, the way the gifted storyteller would’ve narrated the ending to his basketball life, the tone it would’ve taken and the reaction from the audience.
Vanessa Bryant, not only speaking as his wife but as the person who knew him best — at the simplest and most complex levels — was the fitting person to articulate in the tone to properly describe Kobe’s basketball immortality.
The belief was Michael Jordan — Kobe’s muse and idol — could’ve and should’ve delivered the speech, but it would’ve been unfair to expect Jordan to channel Bryant’s innermost thoughts and feelings from his limited vantage point.