[1991, Joe Bryant was preparing to play at least another season in Italy. He enjoyed it here.
Meanwhile, Kobe's attention was completely drawn to the flames of the 1991 NBA playoffs. To prevent Kobe from tuning in too early to watch live broadcasts, his father chose to record the games with a VCR.
When later asked which game left the deepest impression on Kobe, he said it was Game 3 of the West Finals, when the Trail Blazers and Gan Guoyang lost, and Gan missed that final long three-pointer.
Kobe said: "In that game, I saw a basketball hero. No matter how many defenders surrounded him, he dared to take the shot and aim for the hoop."
"What's more important is that most of them went in."
"Although the last one missed, the added sense of tragedy left me with a profound memory."
"I cried for that shot, so I always remember it, always."]
———— Excerpt from the 2017 biography "Showboat: The Life of Kobe Bryant" by Roland Lazenby.
