Kobe Wouldn’t Cancel Gayle King, We Shouldn’t Either
As a man who lived his life in the spotlight and had the world weigh in on every aspect, trial and adversity, we watched him rise above it every time.
And the Mamba Mentality was what propelled him through that sexual assault case. He refused to allow the world to swallow him up and he decided to continue living and focused on being the best version of himself daily.
So when Gayle King asked Lisa Leslie if she felt his legacy was complicated due to the charges, it did feel off-putting and an all around dose of bad timing.
Whether you were a fan or not, we all went through that ordeal with him. And then we watched him turn around and create and even more powerful version of himself from it.
During the 2014 Rise campaign in China, when asked about overcoming obstacles, he said
“Hopefully it’ll inspire them to understand that overcoming is part of the deal, part of living. When you are faced with those types of challenges, you have two options, one you can shy away from it, do nothing about it or you can rise to the challenge.”
As the #MeToo movement continues to gain traction and women come forward with stories of inappropriate conduct and sexual harassment, is it fair to group Kobe in?
I don’t think so.
Unlike the Bill Cosby’s and Harvey Weinstein’s, Kobe’s trial was dismissed right before it was scheduled to start.
I also don’t agree with Kobe being dropped from the Animation Is Film Festival jury in 2018 due to these previous allegations. Unlike other men in positions of power where their actions are just now coming to light, Kobe was given the opportunity to participate in the festival with the public’s full knowledge of this case.
And then you turn around and take it from him when the world is up in arms all over again about it?
Two weeks after his civil case was settled, he was asked if he was concerned about his image.
“No and Yes. I hope, one day people will look back on my career and see everything that I’ve been through…and that I just stayed steady, I stayed professional. That people can look back and said “You know what? He had a hell of a career, he was a hell of a person.”
Kobe’s legacy isn’t complicated at all.
If anything, it taught us that when you face an obstacle, you do whatever it takes to own it, to move past it and continue to become the best version of you you can be.
