Kobe Bryant On Calling It A Day

BASKETBALL , GMA , KOBE BRYANT

Kobe Bryant Reveals Exactly Why He’s Retiring On “Good Morning America”

Robin Roberts got a chance to go one-on-one with the Black Mamba.

Posted 1 week ago.

Bruce Goodwin II

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As Kobe Bryant makes his victory lap around the country’s arenas after announcing his retirement earlier this week, Good Morning America‘s Robin Roberts got a chance to go one-on-one with the Black Mamba.

Robin immediately asked him, “Why now?”

His response? “It’s the right time, there’s no point in belaboring it.” Kobe held strong that it’s better he make the decision than have any outside influences make it for him.

When asked how he knew it was time, Kobe revealed that the decision came during his daily 15 minutes of meditation in the morning. Normally, his mind would constantly drift towards the game, but lately it just wasn’t happening anymore. And that’s when he realized the end was near. However, the thought had been in his mind for the past three years, and Kobe claims it only popped into his head after his career-altering Achilles injury. He then trained hard, came back the next season, and fractured his knee. He then trained hard again, came back, and tore his shoulder. Despite the injuries, Kobe is grateful to have been a Laker for 20 years.

The fact that he stayed with the Lakers his entire career means the world to him, especially since he was a diehard Lakers fan growing up, with Magic Johnson posters and t-shirts filling his room.

He spoke on his decision to address his retirement in a poem, and while he still doesn’t think the poem does it any justice, he felt the need to speak to fans directly to make sure they know how much they mean to him. “We grew up together and that is such a beautiful thing,” he said.

Robin then asked who would make his list of the top five basketball players of all time, and after refusing to name himself, he referenced the people he learned from: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Jerry West.

Despite all of his success, he’s only got one regret – not having eight rings.

Watch a clip of the interview above and stay tuned for part two, set to air on Good Morning America tomorrow.

SOURCE: GMA | VIDEO SOURCE: Twitter, GMA

Also read Kobe Bryant Farewell Poem:

KOBE BRYANT

LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Dear Basketball,

From the momentI started rolling my dad’s tube socksAnd shooting imaginaryGame-winning shotsIn the Great Western ForumI knew one thing was real:
I fell in love with you.

A love so deep I gave you my all —
From my mind & bodyTo my spirit & soul.

As a six-year-old boyDeeply in love with youI never saw the end of the tunnel.I only saw myselfRunning out of one.

And so I ran.
I ran up and down every courtAfter every loose ball for you.You asked for my hustleI gave you my heartBecause it came with so much more.

I played through the sweat and hurt
Not because challenge called meBut because YOU called me.I did everything for YOUBecause that’s what you doWhen someone makes you feel asAlive as you’ve made me feel.

You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream
And I’ll always love you for it.But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer.This season is all I have left to give.My heart can take the poundingMy mind can handle the grindBut my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.I want you to know nowSo we both can savor every moment we have left together.The good and the bad.We have given each otherAll that we have. 

And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kidWith the rolled up socksGarbage can in the corner:05 seconds on the clockBall in my hands.5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

Love you always,
Kobe

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www.BlackBusinessNetwork.com

Welcome To The World of Black Economics

Black Economics

Thank you for visiting this site. www.blackeconomics.co.uk  has a  Focus on Wealth, Poverty, Business and Finance among Black individuals and  Communities.  We explore Economic Matters as pertaining to people of Colour around the world.  Be Informed.

This website also brings to you … A  Directory, for you to find Businesses owned or part-owned by African Americans, Africans, Caribbeans and people of African diaspora.  Please Support, Patronise, Visit their websites – where listed and Celebrate and Be Inspired. 

The Black Economics Website was first uploaded in 2005, following the Katrina Hurricane in New Orleans, USA; and the Race riots in Birmingham, UK of October 2005. These two events caused us to puzzle at the wealth of America (including many African Americans) compared with the poverty displayed following the floods; and also to puzzle about the  politics and economics of  widespread Asian ownership of hair and beauty retail shops in Birminham, UK patronised 100% by black people. Though we cannot change history, we might be able to influence the future.  We appreciate the support of all races, religions and cultures.

Our focus

Examining Wealth and Poverty, and the general Economic Status of black people around the world.

How can we make a change?

BlackEconomics is a focus on economic development within the African diaspora in the UK, USA and Canada and other countries. It is our opinion that given the talent, brain-power and wealth of resources within the black world, our progress as a race can be accelerated.

We do not subscribe to the concept that we are continually at the bottom of the pile. Great wealth is not the preserve of the white man. There are great things happening around the world in black communities,  and we want to use this site to demonstrate this and inspire others to attain greater things. Additionally we want to showcases black businesses, and encourage all people to support them.

The information on this site is useful for any race, culture or nationality. It’s good to be aware of what is going on in your world.

Main aims of this website:

1) To debate the concept of the black pound (or the black dollar) worth £40 billion in the UK, $1 trillion in the USA, and many more billions in Africa, the Caribbean and South America. How can this black money be leveraged. Everybody wants it – but who is benefiting most from it?

2) To showcase good black businesses. Tell the stories of business owners who understand the concept of success – however it is done, whatever the commodity or service, and to whomever they can sell to.

3) To encourage more black people to start businesses - where real wealth can be attained. Create a product or a service, rather than be perpetual consumers.

4) To urge people to be aware of black businesses around them, and where possible – encourage the business owner – by becoming customers or clients of those black businesses.

5) To showcase top black professionals, who thrive in the corporate world.

6) To urge people of means, to invest in black businesses, even if they will not want to run those business themselves. Get to know the prospective business partner until there is trust, and use contacts and corporate knowledge to accelerate the growth.

7) To encourage people to work together, in Economic Empowerment Groups. United people can make a real improvement in their lives, and their businesses.

Topics covered on this site include:

• the historical and current analysis of the economic and social status of the African diaspora;
• the exploration of economic successes and failures;
• examination of the global economy;
• highlighting obstacles to development in the black world; noting the lack of investment in knowledge;
  and lack of funds; corruption; crime and exploitation;
• reviewing the progress (if any) made by black non-governmental organisations including churches; civil rights groups, socio-political groups and investment clubs.

Suggest a black business, organisation or top black professional to be featured on this site

Email: info@blackeconomics.co.uk

Inspiration

The name of this website was inspired by the book ”Black Economics” by Jawanza Kunjufu

The book is a micro and macro-analysis of economic conditions in the black community which explores:

a) why black people earn only 61 percent of a white person’s income, and this figure is falling

b) why most black people prefer to maintain a ’good job’ rather than own and operate their own businesses, and

c) why African American consumers in the USA only spend 3 percent of their one trillion dollars in black businesses.

If that 3% was increased to even 20% would that not make a huge difference to the survival rate of many black businesses, and raising the economic status of business owners families?

May this website inspire you to make a difference.

Legacy website (2005   to  2013)

BlackEconomicDevelopment.com Reaching Out Globally

Black Economic Development

BlackEconomicDevelopment.com is the place where issues related to improving the economic condition of Black people are openly discussed. Economics is generally defined as the social science that studies the production, distribution, andconsumption of goods and services.

Few entities, organizations, or even our own government want to address the systemic problems or create programs that specifically and directly address the economic ills of Black people in America.

In his seminal book, Blueprint for Black Power: A Moral, Political, and Economic Imperative for the Twenty-First Century Dr. Amos Wilson says “economic destiny determines biological destiny”. 

White treatment of African Americans despite a myriad of theories explaining White behavior,ultimately rests on the fact that they can. They possess the power to do so. Such a power differential must be neutralized if Blacks are to prosper in the 21st century. The alarm is ringing. Powerful evidence includes the growth of the Prison Industrial Complex. We see clear warning signs for those at the bottom of America’s social and economic ladder.

Blueprint for Black Power

There is ample non-partisan research which states that job creation, business development, and leveraging the $1.02 trillion dollars in Black consumer spending would create true and positive change in America.  We must change the way we think and act, both individually and collectively.

BlackEconomicDevelopment.com is an effort to lead, shape and create this dialogue ourselves. Our aim is to spur critical thinking, positive action and immediate implementation of  workable solutions.

In his best-selling book, PowerNomics: The National Plan to Empower Black America, Dr. Claud Anderson asks the question “What enables an endless stream of immigrant groups to politically, economically and socially dominate Blacks?”

He goes on to state that the “callous indifference, disrespect and sometimes actual hatred that the majority society feels toward Black people are creating conditions that are dangerously parallel to those in Germany prior to the Jewish Holocaust of the 1930s and 1940s.“

Dr. Claud Anderson penned these words years before the election of  President Barack Obamaand well in advance of the surge in popularity of the Tea Party.  He adds “the new orientation for Black America, within the framework of a national plan, is the practice of group economics.

PowerNomics

The Business of Black Hair demands the attention of Black people. We feature this subject extensively on our site  and encourage you to check it out closely. As the only consumers of the products, Blacks should own and control every aspect of the business. This includes production, distribution, manufacturing, marketing, promotions, entertainment, technology, social media, digital media and any new and creative ways we can devise to leverage and bring forth new solutions for our community on a global basis.

In no industry, is the collective buying power of Black people, more obvious and evident than the  Black hair care products industry. This is the place where we can plant our economic flag.

So we start with using the tools that we have. We’re providing the forum but we also realize that these issues are too complex for any one entity to solve alone.

Hopefully you’ll be engaged with us as we work intelligently to address these issues. If you want to JOIN IN with those of us who BELIEVE we can do this, be sure to contact us and express your interest.

Also leave your comments on any of the posts you read on our site or contact us directly.

We encourage participation from our readers and will respond to you. We believe that “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link” and therefore by strengthening the economic capacity of the Black community, all Americans will benefit. We are also reaching out globally and connecting via other platforms both online and offline to address these serious issues and build new relationships and strategic alliances.

Are you with us? Then we welcome YOU to our global network!

Let’s go!

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