Rhetorical Criticism by Savannah Dyer

In Kobe Bryant’s Oscar Winning Short Film, Dear Basketball, the GOAT writes a goodbye letter to basketball.

The rhetor, Kobe Bryant, is an American former professional basketball player who played his 20 year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. In the letter, Kobe writes a personal, moving, goodbye letter to the game that meant to much to him.

The metaphor used here is that basketball is Kobe’s passion, that he fell in love with it, and even though he is retiring, nothing will change the love he has for the game. He uses lines like “You asked for my hustle; I gave you my heart” and “I did everything for you” to demonstrate the lengths he has went to for basketball: “Not because challenge called me, but because you called me.”

He continues with saying that while his heart and mind are still passionate, it’s time for him to let go. “I’ll always be that kid with the rolled up socks, garbage can in the corner,” Kobe writes. He means that no matter how many awards he wins, no matter how many wins he has, his passion for the game is unchanging. He still has the same love for the game he has had since he was six years old when the Lakers were just a dream to a kid who just loved basketball.

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