Kobe Bryant Warns Younger Self Through Emotional Letter

By Carlo Monzon
Kobe Bryant
Retired NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant accepts the "Legend" award at the Kids Choice Sport 2016 awards in Los Angeles, California U.S., July 14, 2016.  REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

The retired Los Angeles Lakers legendary guard Kobe Bryant has written an emotional letter warning the 17-year-old version of himself about the regrets that he made during his career in the NBA.

In the letter, which Bryant published on The Players Tribune, he talked about the experiences he encountered during his rise to stardom. More specifically, he discussed the things that he now regrets.

Asa warning to his younger self, Bryant said that one of the most important things that he should have done many years ago was to invest in his family. However, this doesn't meant spoiling his family with material wealth since this creates an addiction that becomes harder to break as the years go by.

"You will come to understand that you were taking care of them because it made you feel good, it made you happy to see them smiling without a care in the world - and that was extremely selfish of you," he wrote.

"While you were feeling satisfied with yourself, you were slowly eating away at their own dreams and ambitions," he added. "You were adding material things to their lives, but subtracting the most precious gifts of all: independence and growth."

Based on the letter, it certainly seems that Bryant went through a lot of issues with his families during his time in the NBA. According to the iconic athlete, what he should have done back then was used his status and resources to provide his family with long-term help.

"Use your success, wealth and influence to put them in the best position to realize their own dreams and find their true purpose," he stated. "Put them through school, set them up with job interviews and help them become leaders in their own right."

"Hold them to the same level of hard work and dedication that it took for you to get to where you are now, and where you will eventually go," he continued.

According to Bryant, through his selfish act of providing his family with purely material things, he helped in facilitating an addiction to material wealth, then then caused resentment and jealousy within the household.

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