Kobe Bryant may have retired at the end of the 2015-16 season, but what he accomplished on the hardwood will live on forever.
While Kobe is still working with Nike and growing the NBA’s reach overseas in China, he found the time to write a letter to his 17-year-old self in The Players’ Tribune.
After 20 years in the league, he’s learned a lot, mostly pertaining to relationships with family members.
The 37-year-old touches on the difference between investing in family and just giving.
“Use your success, wealth and influence to put them in the best position to realize their own dreams and find their true purpose. 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 writes.
He also explains that he may have regretted letting his parents handle his affairs, saying, “Before you sign that first contract, figure out the right budget for your parents — one that will allow them to live beautifully while also growing your business and setting people up for long-term success. That way, your children’s kids and their kids will be able to invest in their own futures when the time comes.”
This likely won’t be the last letter Kobe writes to his younger self. He concludes with, “The next time I write to you, I may touch on the challenges of mixing blood with business. The most important advice I can give to you is to make sure your parents remain PARENTS and not managers.”
Read the rest of the poignant letter here.
SOURCE: The Players’ Tribune | IMAGE CREDIT: Getty
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Kobe Bryant Writes Letter To His 17-Year-Old Self was originally published on theurbandaily.com
