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NBA -- A Kobe moment for PhilBoxing
By Joan Secuya-Medida
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 07 Jan 2013
SAN FRANCISCO -- At age 34 and plowing through his 17th NBA season, Kobe Bryant is supposed to be slowing down as he approaches the twilight of his brilliant career.
But slowing down is exactly what Kobe is not doing. Quite the contrary, all of Kobe's stats this season only indicate an upward trend which validates the fact that the five-time NBA champion and 13-time All-Star is still playing at an elite level.
With an average of 30.5 points a game, Bryant currently leads the NBA in scoring, ahead of both Knicks sparkplug Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder's Kevin Durant, a former 3-time scoring champion.
Kobe is shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from 3-point range. And he is terrific from the free throw line, missing only 14 of 87 freebies thus far in the season.
Although Kobe's on-court heroics are well-documented and deservedly praised, it's his genuine warmth and friendliness off the court that struck this reporter with equal awe.
While covering the Lakers-Warriors game as a credentialed writer for PhilBoxing.com's growing NBA page, I had the good fortune of meeting Kobe in the bowels of the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California last December 22, 2012.
Although visibly tired after playing 44 minutes in that 118-115 Lakers win, Bryant was kind enough to stop by and chat with PhilBoxing. He also obliged a photo-op.
As a lifelong NBA fan. I've had many, many treasured NBA memories that date all the way back to my childhood years.
Now as a writer, I've slowly added more, one game at a time. And surely, this meeting Kobe will last a lifetime. (JSM)
Photo: The author (R) poses with Kobe Bryant at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joan Secuya-Medida.
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