On the eve of his retirement from the
National Basketball Association (NBA), Kobe Bryant describes his love for the game, which began when he was a child. The film starts with him making a
dunk as the game clock is running out, winning the game for the
Los Angeles Lakers. He then says "Dear Basketball", and goes on to reminisce about his childhood, rolling his father's tube socks and shooting imaginary game-winning shots in the
Great Western Forum. He describes how his love for basketball inspired him to give everything from his "mind, body, spirit and soul". He explains that as 6-year-old boy, "I never saw the end of the tunnel / I only saw myself running out of one", and because of this, he always chose to play the game as well as he could: "And so I ran. I ran up and down every court / After every loose ball for you / You asked for my hustle / I gave you my heart / Because it came with so much more." He then says, "I played for the sweat and the hurt / Not because challenge called me / But because YOU called me", and by doing so he was able to achieve his Laker dream. He then explains how due to his
Achilles heel injury from 2013, he has only one more NBA season left in him to dedicate to basketball: "My heart can take the pounding / My mind can handle the grind / But my body knows it's time to say goodbye." With a heavy heart, he comes to terms with this and accepts the fact that he is ready to let go of basketball. He then tells basketball that he wants to let it know now so they can make the best out of the little precious time they have left together: "We have given each other / All that we have." He ends the film by claiming "no matter what I do next / I'll always be that kid / With the rolled up socks / Garbage can in the corner / Five seconds on the clock / Ball in my hands". He continues to depict one of his iconic buzzer-beater shots with the game clock running down. His final words to basketball are: "Love you always, Kobe." ==Reception==