To many of the younger generation with whom I deal every day, Kobe Bryant was an idol. I also understand some readers of this inspirational piece might have no clue who Kobe was. And some readers who are really squeamish, might be backing away from even a look at what I am going to say. I understand all of these perspectives and, oddly, think I relate to all of them and can speak to all of them.
Kobe, as he was affectionately known throughout the basketball world, was born in 1978. I am old enough to remember his father, Joe, played basketball professionally in the NBA. So, Kobe had athletic genes and it was no surprise that he bypassed college and started playing professionally in 1996. He spent his entire career with the LA Lakers. He was a prolific scorer and was a world champion five times. For younger people, he was larger than life. He was good looking, superbly athletic, a bit of a playboy and wildly successful.
Kobe was the idol of countless young people and, perhaps, many middle-agers still emotionally stuck in their memories and regrets. This is where it gets tricky. Any of us who share the Abrahamic faith traditions---Jewish, Christian and Islam---know that believing or having idols is not a good thing. An idol is an image or representation of God which is worshipped. We probably grow up with certain Biblical teachings in mind, such as to have no other idols before me. That is a jealous God speaking.
The Christian church has been pretty careful about delineating between images and idols. That sounds pretty petty, but it is a huge distinction. If you visit a Greek or Russian Orthodox Church, you see multiple, colorful images. There are images of Jesus, Mary, saints, etc. There is a clear sense that there is no real, like-worthy image of God. Michelangelo may paint his version of a divine figure sitting in the heavens, but even he would have had no clue what God might actually look like. It was an image---as in using one’s imagination to paint a picture to convey a message.
For the religious, idols always have been those temptations that lure us away from a true, deep sense for the Divine Other. We can well say that idols mis-represent God. In fact, idols are so effective because they seem to deliver results, when the real God may not seem to be present and on our side. People literally could pray that Kobe hit that key shot, steal the ball and go down for the winning layoff. More often than not, prayers for or about Kobe’s performance seemed to be answered.
It is a slippery slope from this understanding of prayer that Kobe might hit the key shot to the idea that somehow Kobe was super-natural. He was more than simply a basketball player. Kobe became for countless people a deity playing a game called basketball. He was paid handsomely---more than any human being could expect to make. Since so many of us grow up playing things like basketball, it was easy to see the impossible gap between our game and the game Kobe played. Only a god or semi-god could play like that. I always knew I could never pass, hit the shot or rebound in uncanny ways like Kobe could do it.
Kobe had unbelievable talent for the game of basketball, for getting girls, money or anything else a human being might want. When you move from the noun, idol, to its verb, idolize, you describe the very action those religious traditions cautioned against. If I am a sixteen-year-old idolizing Kobe, then the real God is far from my thought or interest. Kobe was on tv; God never was. Kobe had fun; it is hard to see how God is any kind of fun. Kobe had pretty women fawn over him; God had nuns following “Him.” Religious folks know the function of idol and idolizing is to distract---to pull us away from the real deal---the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The ultimate problem for an idol is: it is not real. In the case of Kobe, he has died---been killed in a helicopter crash. The apparent miracle worker on the court and in his life was not ultimately capable of granting or being given a miracle. He was not spared. An accident claimed his life and, doubtlessly, he rode a wounded helicopter to his ultimate death. Tragically, Kobe has died, but so do all human beings. He was just like all of us: mortal.
I understand the process, particularly young people, have of idolizing someone like Kobe. His life and journey create images of possibility in countless minds. Lebron James, another childhood prodigy in the sport of basketball was inspired by an older Kobe Bryant. Now Lebron is idolized by multitudes of young, aspiring people. What’s wrong with that? Paradoxically, the answer is nothing is wrong with it and plenty is wrong.
There is nothing wrong with it if we can see Kobe as an image of the possible. He rightly can inspire all kinds of people to be the best they can be. I would add the spiritual to the dimension, because that will help deal with ultimate questions. Maybe Kobe had dealt with these; I don’t know. And there is plenty wrong if anybody only wishes he or she could be Kobe. Spiritually, the goal is to become the person God meant you to become: someone who is an image of the creative God designed to live an amazing life. For most of us, it won’t be on the basketball floor.
Kobe, as he was affectionately known throughout the basketball world, was born in 1978. I am old enough to remember his father, Joe, played basketball professionally in the NBA. So, Kobe had athletic genes and it was no surprise that he bypassed college and started playing professionally in 1996. He spent his entire career with the LA Lakers. He was a prolific scorer and was a world champion five times. For younger people, he was larger than life. He was good looking, superbly athletic, a bit of a playboy and wildly successful.
Kobe was the idol of countless young people and, perhaps, many middle-agers still emotionally stuck in their memories and regrets. This is where it gets tricky. Any of us who share the Abrahamic faith traditions---Jewish, Christian and Islam---know that believing or having idols is not a good thing. An idol is an image or representation of God which is worshipped. We probably grow up with certain Biblical teachings in mind, such as to have no other idols before me. That is a jealous God speaking.
The Christian church has been pretty careful about delineating between images and idols. That sounds pretty petty, but it is a huge distinction. If you visit a Greek or Russian Orthodox Church, you see multiple, colorful images. There are images of Jesus, Mary, saints, etc. There is a clear sense that there is no real, like-worthy image of God. Michelangelo may paint his version of a divine figure sitting in the heavens, but even he would have had no clue what God might actually look like. It was an image---as in using one’s imagination to paint a picture to convey a message.
For the religious, idols always have been those temptations that lure us away from a true, deep sense for the Divine Other. We can well say that idols mis-represent God. In fact, idols are so effective because they seem to deliver results, when the real God may not seem to be present and on our side. People literally could pray that Kobe hit that key shot, steal the ball and go down for the winning layoff. More often than not, prayers for or about Kobe’s performance seemed to be answered.
It is a slippery slope from this understanding of prayer that Kobe might hit the key shot to the idea that somehow Kobe was super-natural. He was more than simply a basketball player. Kobe became for countless people a deity playing a game called basketball. He was paid handsomely---more than any human being could expect to make. Since so many of us grow up playing things like basketball, it was easy to see the impossible gap between our game and the game Kobe played. Only a god or semi-god could play like that. I always knew I could never pass, hit the shot or rebound in uncanny ways like Kobe could do it.
Kobe had unbelievable talent for the game of basketball, for getting girls, money or anything else a human being might want. When you move from the noun, idol, to its verb, idolize, you describe the very action those religious traditions cautioned against. If I am a sixteen-year-old idolizing Kobe, then the real God is far from my thought or interest. Kobe was on tv; God never was. Kobe had fun; it is hard to see how God is any kind of fun. Kobe had pretty women fawn over him; God had nuns following “Him.” Religious folks know the function of idol and idolizing is to distract---to pull us away from the real deal---the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The ultimate problem for an idol is: it is not real. In the case of Kobe, he has died---been killed in a helicopter crash. The apparent miracle worker on the court and in his life was not ultimately capable of granting or being given a miracle. He was not spared. An accident claimed his life and, doubtlessly, he rode a wounded helicopter to his ultimate death. Tragically, Kobe has died, but so do all human beings. He was just like all of us: mortal.
I understand the process, particularly young people, have of idolizing someone like Kobe. His life and journey create images of possibility in countless minds. Lebron James, another childhood prodigy in the sport of basketball was inspired by an older Kobe Bryant. Now Lebron is idolized by multitudes of young, aspiring people. What’s wrong with that? Paradoxically, the answer is nothing is wrong with it and plenty is wrong.
There is nothing wrong with it if we can see Kobe as an image of the possible. He rightly can inspire all kinds of people to be the best they can be. I would add the spiritual to the dimension, because that will help deal with ultimate questions. Maybe Kobe had dealt with these; I don’t know. And there is plenty wrong if anybody only wishes he or she could be Kobe. Spiritually, the goal is to become the person God meant you to become: someone who is an image of the creative God designed to live an amazing life. For most of us, it won’t be on the basketball floor.
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