This is probably the most important, most emotional podcast I've ever done. Nobody who wasn't in that room has ever seen or heard this interview since it happened.

This Kobe interview took place in 2016. It was for a small group of Kobe's most die-hard fans in the Philippines. Since then, and especially since 2020, I have been trying my absolute best to find footage of this conversation. Last year, I was told that a drive shared to me most likely had clips from this event. I don't know why, but I was always hesitant to watch it. Maybe I wanted to always have something Kobe-related to still look forward to - like an ace in my pocket. In place of future Kobe moments, I wanted to still be able to look forward to my only Kobe moment from the past.

After his statue unveiling however, I figured it was time. I'm sharing it now because like so many other Kobe fans around the world, finding interviews of him that I hadn't yet seen before is exhilarating. New wisdom to learn, new reminders to live The Mamba Way.

Please bear with some camera shakiness at the start, and maybe not the most perfect audio conditions, but otherwise, enjoy what is and always will be the highlight of my career, and a life-altering conversation I will forever treasure.

Kobe Forever.