Kobe Bryant Summary

Kobe Bryant is regarded by fans and critics as the best basketball player of the last decade. After winning five national championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant now focuses on developing his business skills to lead his life off the court. Bryant, during his farewell tour, penned multiple letters, which focused on his experience in the National Basketball Association, that received acclaim from his peers and critics. Ben McGrath of The New Yorker responded to Bryant’s Dear Basketball as well as his overall career. Letters tend to enrich relationships and provide a medium for self-expression where as editorials attempt to persuade their audience to by providing facts and experience on the subject. Professional letters are relatively

Ben McGrath of The New Yorker begins his praise of Bryant by stating that, “ Kobe Bryant and a business associate have a running bet on the staying power of the pop stars Katy Perry and Justin
Bieber.” (McGrath) His discussion of the artists is not crucial to the main theme of the editorial, but it definitely does capture the reader’s attention. Most editorials drag out to be multiple pages long, so an engaging introduction helps to also keep the focus of the reader. McGrath continues and offers quotes from Bryant’s peers. He asserts that, “He spoiled us big time, this dude. Now we’re seeing what might happen when he’s gone.” (McGrath) The topic of the editorial is to praise Bryant’s career and McGrath accomplish this by providing compelling evidence from a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Editorials tend to be organized and detail. McGrath begins with a hook to capture the reader’s attention and then focuses on Bryant’s current status before finally reminiscing about his esteemed past. Additionally, this chronological order allows the reader to switch sections in an interning, but long paper. Most editorials focus on interpreting and criticizing subjects but McGrath decides to use the least common method and praises Bryant’s career. McGrath also does not offer opposing view