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Entertainment December 1, 2015

Today in Movie Culture: 'Star Wars' Recapped, a 'Star Wars'-Themed Movie Theater and More

Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture:

Movie Series Recap of the Day:

We’ve entered the month of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In anticipation of the new movie, the spoiler-spouting Fine Brothers are back to recap the entire Star Wars franchise in only six minutes:

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Movie Theater of the Day:

The new Alamo Drafthouse in Omaha has a lobby modeled after the Death Star from Star Wars. And it’s permanent (via Screen Crush):

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Movie Trivia of the Day:

Ever been in an argument with another Star Wars fan about which is bigger, Jabba’s sail barge or the Millennium Falcon? This video sizing up all the franchise’s vehicles side by side from Ewok glider to the second Death Star:

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Movie Theory of the Day:

Now for something actually about The Force Awakens: The Film Theorists analytically considers the possibility that Luke Skywalker is a bad guy in the new movie:

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Movie Takedown of the Day:

Honest Trailers aims a death ray at the animated spinoff prequel Minions, aka “Despicable Greed”:

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Classic Cartoon of the Day:

If you want to see better animation, there’s the classic Merrie Melodies animated short Nasty Quacks, starring Daffy Duck, which turns 70 years old today. Watch it in full below.

Actor in Spotlight:

Julianne Moore and Billy Eichner took to Times Square and she performed impromptu scenes from her movies for the latest episode of Billy on the Street:

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Filmmaker in Focus:

Supercut master Jorge Luengo compiled close-up shots of hands in Christopher Nolan films:

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Supercut of the Day:

Titled “Copy Complete,” here’s a stylish supercut collage of computer scenes in movies from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s:

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Classic Trailer of the Day:

This weekend is the 25th anniversary of the initial limited theatrical release of the Oscar-nominated con-man classic The Grifters. Watch the original trailer for the movie, which was produced by Martin Scorsese and directed by Stephen Frears and stars John Cusack, Angelica Huston and Annette Bening, below.

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Health December 1, 2015

False Alarm Mammograms May Still Signal Higher Breast Cancer Risk

In a study of 1.3 million women, ages 40 to 74, having a false positive on a screening mammogram was associated with a slightly increased chance that the woman would eventually develop breast cancer. The extra risk seemed to be independent of the density of her breasts.

In a study of 1.3 million women, ages 40 to 74, having a false positive on a screening mammogram was associated with a slightly increased chance that the woman would eventually develop breast cancer. The extra risk seemed to be independent of the density of her breasts. Lester Lefkowitz/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption Lester Lefkowitz/Getty Images

Women who have an abnormal mammogram should stay vigilant for cancer for for the next decade, even when follow-up tests fail to detect cancer, a study released Wednesday finds.

That’s because there’s a “modest” risk that cancer will develop during the next decade, says lead author Louise M. Henderson of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.

The absolute increase in risk amounts to about 1 additional cancer in every 100 women who have a false positive mammogram over a 10-year period, she says.

But when put another way, the numbers may appear alarming. The study divided women into two groups — those who got additional imaging and those who also got biopsies.

Women with an abnormal screening mammogram had a 39 percent higher risk of cancer if they got additional imaging that turned out to be negative, too. That’s compared with women who were truly negative and never developed breast cancer.

For women who got biopsies that turned out negative, the chance of cancer was increased by 76 percent over the next 10 years.

“We don’t want women to read this and feel worried,” Henderson says. Instead, the findings should be considered one more “useful tool” when weighing all the other factors that might be raising a particular woman’s risk, such as age, race, breast density and family history of breast cancer.

Henderson says the study wasn’t designed to figure out why a falsely positive mammogram is associated with an increased cancer risk.

It’s possible, she says, that the increased risk “could be the fact that the radiologist sees an abnormal pattern that’s not cancerous, but it’s a radio-graphic marker,” and it could be that this is a precursor to some subsequent cancer diagnosis.

The study, done at several leading universities, looked back at more than 2.2 million screening mammograms considered to be false alarms between 1994 and 2009. It was published Wednesday in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. The mammograms were done in 1.3 million women, ages 40 to 74.

Earlier studies have had conflicting results. But the size of this study makes researchers more confident that whatever is going on is a true phenomenon and not chance, says Dr. Richard Wender, chief cancer control officer of the American Cancer Society.

“If you’ve had a false positive, that is a risk factor,” he says, “so it’s very important that a woman stay up to date with regular mammography.”

As it is now, Wender says, at least one-third of women who should be getting routinely screened for breast cancer are falling behind schedule.

The cancer society created controversy in October, when it changed its guidelines to recommend that regular screening start at age 45. Other groups recommend starting earlier, at age 40, and some say it’s OK to wait until age 50.

Studies have shown that the chance of getting an abnormal screening mammogram that is falsely positive is about 50 percent over the course of 10 years. That often leads to further testing, including more mammograms, possible ultrasound exams, MRIs and even biopsies.

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Business December 1, 2015

Mark Zuckerberg And Priscilla Chan Have Baby, Promise To Give Away Fortune

Max Chan Zuckerberg's parents are marking her birth by promising to give most of their Facebook shares to good causes over their lifetimes. The family is pictured in this photo provided by Mark Zuckerberg.

Max Chan Zuckerberg’s parents are marking her birth by promising to give most of their Facebook shares to good causes over their lifetimes. The family is pictured in this photo provided by Mark Zuckerberg. Uncredited/AP hide caption

toggle caption Uncredited/AP

Mark Zuckerberg is a dad! And he’s marking the birth of his first child (and #GivingTuesday) with a promise to give away 99 percent of his shares in Facebook to make a brighter future.

In an open letter to Max, their newborn daughter, Zuckerberg, 31, and his wife Dr. Priscilla Chan, 30, pledged to give 99 percent of their shares in Facebook — worth about $45 billion today — over the course of their lifetime.

The letter has a sweeping vision, traversing social and political issues that are controversial. Zuckerberg writes:

“Children who face traumatic experiences early in life often develop less healthy minds and bodies…

“If you have to wonder whether you’ll have food or rent, or worry about abuse or crime, then it’s difficult to reach your full potential.

“If you fear you’ll go to prison rather than college because of the color of your skin, or that your family will be deported because of your legal status, or that you may be a victim of violence because of your religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, then it’s difficult to reach your full potential.”

He then emphasizes how investments in technology in particular can solve these problems. He writes: “People often think of the internet as just for entertainment or communication. But for the majority of people in the world, the internet can be a lifeline.”

According to analyst estimates, for every 10 people who gain Internet access, one new job is created and one person is lifted out of poverty.

Call it a bit of a techno-utopian view of the world. It’s the mantra he’s been repeating since the creation of Internet.org, another major philanthropic effort he’s made as CEO of Facebook.

According to an SEC filing, he and his wife are establishing a new entity, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, LLC, to manage the money. Zuckerberg says he will control the voting and disposition of any shares held by such entity.

Zuckerberg does not plan to leave Facebook. He writes he will remain CEO for “many, many years to come.” He plans to sell or gift no more than $1 billion of Facebook stock each year for the next three years and will retain his majority voting position for the foreseeable future.

The young billionaire is not the first to make such a sweeping philanthropic gesture. Microsoft founder Bill Gates, along with his wife Melinda, launched one of the largest private foundations in the world, with an endowment in 2014 of $44 billion. In 2006, Warren Buffett promised to gradually give away all of his Berkshire Hathaway stock.

All three have signed the Giving Pledge, a commitment by the uber-wealthy to dedicate most of their wealth to philanthropy (just to be clear, the chief of Uber is not a signatory).

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Sports December 1, 2015

Golden State Warriors Lead NBA With Record 19-0 Start

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Defending NBA champions the Golden State Warriors keep hammering away at the rest of the league. The team’s 19-0 start is an NBA record. And some are wondering not if the Warriors are going to repeat as champs, but when are they going to actually lose a game. NPR’s Kelly McEvers talks to David Aldridge of TNT and NBA.com.

Transcript

KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

For a second there, the Utah Jazz had a chance. It was last night, about a minute to go in the game. They were tied with the Golden State Warriors, who so far this season have not lost a single game. The sellout crowd in Utah had hope, but then the Warriors’ Steph Curry did what Steph Curry pretty much always does.

(SOUNDBITE OF BASKETBALL GAME)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Curry. Three – good. And he unties it.

MCEVERS: The reigning MVP’s three-pointer helped Golden State win a record 19th game in a row at the start of the season, and here to answer the question of when the defending NBA champions will actually lose a game is David Aldridge. He covers the NBA for TNT and nba.com.

Welcome to the show.

DAVID ALDRIDGE: My pleasure. Thanks for having me.

MCEVERS: OK so the Warriors managed to win by only three points last night. I mean, I guess that’s a sign that this streak is all unraveling, right?

(LAUGHTER)

ALDRIDGE: Yeah, I’m sure some people think that. But no, in the NBA, sometimes you have tough games. That’s – well, what Golden State has done is so far has been so incredible. Other than last night and a couple of other games, they’ve blown everybody out.

MCEVERS: I mean, last year Golden State had this historically great season on the way to winning the title. This year seems to be even better. I mean, how are they doing this?

ALDRIDGE: They have by far the best player in basketball right now in Steph Curry. And I say that knowing that LeBron James is incredibly talented and gifted and is a great player, but what Curry’s doing is remarkable. He’s leading the league in scoring, but he doesn’t take a ton of shots. You want your best players or your star players to not only score but to do so efficiently. It doesn’t help a team to have its star player score 25 points but have to take 24 shots to do it. He’s passing the ball at a high level, he’s playing very good defense and he has a very good team around him. So the combination of those two things and the continuity that comes from a team that’s won a championship I think is a large part of what’s pushed Golden State so far.

MCEVERS: I mean, we are barely a month into what is a very long season, and already people are making comparisons to the Chicago Bulls, you know, the team that was led by Michael Jordan and won a record 72 games in 1996. Can this team be that good?

ALDRIDGE: I’m somewhat reluctant because of what you mentioned. You know, they’ve played 19 games. That’s about a quarter of the NBA season. They’ve got 60 games left to play. Anything can happen tomorrow, for example (laughter).

MCEVERS: Yeah.

ALDRIDGE: If one of their key players were to be injured, that would change the entire dynamic of the season. So I would say this – I would say certainly Golden State right now is the best team in the league by far and there is no reason to expect them not to remain the best team in the league. They’re very well-coached. They have a very good team concept. And if they continue to blow people out every night and allow their star players to get rest, they’re going to be very well-prepared for the playoffs. So will they get to 72 wins? I don’t know. I tend to think they won’t. But, you know, ask me at the All-Star break in February. If they’re 41 and 2 or something like that then I would say they probably have a good shot.

MCEVERS: That’s David Aldridge, who covers pro basketball for TNT and nba.com.

Thank you so much.

ALDRIDGE: My pleasure.

MCEVERS: And we will talk to you at the All-Star break.

ALDRIDGE: (Laughter). I look forward to it.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

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Entertainment December 1, 2015

Songs We Love: Rusangano Family, 'Heathrow'

Rusangano Family.
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Rusangano Family. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

toggle caption Courtesy of the artist

"Heathrow" art.

Courtesy of the artist

“When I see Police I’m Amadou Diallo/ Haunted by the bodies Sahara swallowed/ Did I flee Lampedusa to die over you? ” asks the Togolese MC, MuRli on “Heathrow,’ by the Limerick, Ireland-based trio, Rusangano Family. The song is a mix of immigrant emotions from a first-person perspective that’s as personal as it political. It’s about small stories and big narratives more than facts and figures; the xenophobia, racism and gaze of Empire may be secondary but they’re ever-present as MuRli worries about things both existential and tangible. He’s an African in Ireland “looking out of place like Columbus did” and wishing to talk to “a local girl I met in a Pizza Hut,” but “I’m on 20 euros a week and my pocket is weak so no cash in my strategy.” There’s no distinction between his right to survival and his desire for a crush—all aspects of his life are marked by struggle and threatened with violence.

Where the London airport of the song-title fits into this scenario is never delineated, but it’s made clear when Zimbabwean MC God Knows raps, “Took off in Lagos/ And only Europe can save us.” Heathrow is about hope deferred, and “Heathrow” is about assimilation (“Depressed under pressure of making decisions/ To change my feathers and flock with the others”), being seen and not heard (“Silence in customs/ Just prayers in the bathrooms/ Black cleaners in staff rooms”), homesickness (“I’m living on fish and chips but deep inside I’m craving fetri“) and “asylum seekers, sugar daddies in slippers, spooning Nubian grim reapers.”

Everything here is piercing and impressionistic, down to producer mynameisjOhn’s hi-hat happy soundtrack that’s full of siren synths and imposing guitar twangs. The music sounds like the suffocating rush of determination and apprehension at a militarized checkpoint. mynameisjOhn is the group’s lone member of Irish heritage, and his contributions here are as pivotal as those of the MC’s. (Last year, mynameisjOhn also produced the bulk of MuRli’s debut EP, Surface Tension, and released, Rusangano / Family, a full length with God Knows, which featured appearances by MuRli, before the three formed into Rusangano Family.) God Knows and MuRli’s observations are full of the resilience of shattered dreams; mynameisjOhn’s backdrop sounds like the boots doing the shattering. It’s a timely combination that tries to makes sense of heady issue by focusing on the human aspects of migration. We may not know why MuRli fled to and from Lampedusa, an Italian island off the coast of Tunisia that’s become a European landing base for refugees leaving North Africa; but listening to “Heathrow” we know that—like many immigrants before and after— he still seeks a home that continues to be elusive.

Rusangano Family’s album, Let The Dead Bury The Dead is due for release in early 2016. ?

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Entertainment December 1, 2015

New 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Clip Is Like Something Out of a Dream

This week we’ll be getting a brand new trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (December 2nd at 11:35 PM EST, to be precise), and to announce it we got a new clip from the Zack Snyder directed movie. This isn’t one of those 4 second teasers that has ten thousand indecipherable clips crammed into it, either.

No, this clip is a single, tantalizing moment. It’s only 49 seconds long, and we’re quite sure it’ll be even longer in the actual movie, but it’s intense even at that length.

If anything, this clip is a little too good to be true. It looks like it could be from a dream sequence. Either that or Batman has done something to seriously, seriously piss off Superman. If you thought the man from Krypton looked angry at the end of Man of Steel, he looks positively murderous here.

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Business November 30, 2015

L.A.'s Top Restaurant Charts New Waters In Sustainable Seafood

Chef Michael Cimarusti, of Los Angeles' Providence restaurant, is pioneering the West Coast incarnation of Dock to Dish, a program that hooks up local fishermen directly with chefs.
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Chef Michael Cimarusti, of Los Angeles’ Providence restaurant, is pioneering the West Coast incarnation of Dock to Dish, a program that hooks up local fishermen directly with chefs. Courtesy of Providence hide caption

toggle caption Courtesy of Providence

Providence is considered by many to be the finest restaurant in Los Angeles, a gourmet seafood eatery run by chef Michael Cimarusti. He’s won several James Beard awards and two highly coveted Michelin stars. He is also a fisherman who is piloting a program to support local, small-scale fishermen.

We first told you about this program when it launched in Southern California in September. Called Dock to Dish, it’s a restaurant-supported fishery that allows local fishermen to sell directly to local chefs. It’s based on the model of community-supported agriculture, where members share the risks of food production by pre-buying weekly subscriptions. In this case, restaurants commit to buying local seafood from small-scale fishermen. The idea is to create a supply-based system, offering whatever is plentiful and in season.

The first Dock to Dish program launched three years ago in Montauk, N.Y., and has been hailed as a revival of community-based fisheries. Cimarusti has been trying out its West Coast incarnation. How’s it going so far? NPR’s Mandalit del Barco recently checked in with the chef.

Cimarusti says it’s sometimes a challenge to come up with recipes for the unusual species that land in his kitchen thanks to the program.

“You know, the fishermen that go out — they fish, they land whatever they catch and that’s what we get,” Cimarusti says. “So you have to be flexible, and you have to be willing to experiment and deal with things that you might have absolutely no idea of how to prepare.”

Things like fresh live sea cucumber, wavy turban snails and Kellet’s Whelk. That’s the kind of sea life you find off the coast of Santa Barbara, an hour and a half north of L.A.

If you listen to Mandalit’s story on All Things Considered, you’ll hear as she heads out to sea with Cimarusti and one of the fishermen who supplies his restaurant.

Randy Graham, a fisherman who is also taking part of the Dock to Dish pilot, says “it’s kind of a revolution.”

“We’re trying to get the customer to get the idea of, Yeah, you’re paying a little bit more for your fish, but we’re not using nets, not using any unsustainable resources to bring the fish to you. This was what was caught in Santa Barbara today — get used to eating it,” Graham says.

The concept seems to be catching on; Dock to Dish L.A. already has other chefs and restaurants waiting to jump aboard.

Sarah Rathbone, cofounder of Dock to Dish L.A., says it’s taste makers like Cimarusti and other chefs who will reel the rest of us into making sustainable seafood choices.

“My goal is to make it something that goes beyond those who can afford the fine dining — to people who are just looking to make sustainable decisions when it comes to their seafood choices,” she says.

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Health November 30, 2015

Suspect In Colorado Planned Parenthood Shooting Appears In Court

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The suspect in the shooting at Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs was in court Monday. Robert L. Dear faces multiple counts after the deadly attack that left three people dead and nine wounded.

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

The man accused of a mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic on Friday appeared for the first time in court today. Police say Robert Dear opened fire and killed three people and wounded nine others. Ben Markus of Colorado Public Radio was in court in Colorado Springs and joins me now. And Ben, tell us first what happened in court today, and how did the suspect appear to you?

BEN MARKUS, BYLINE: It was a quick appearance. Robert Dear was advised that he’s been initially charged with first-degree murder and that formal charges will be brought next Wednesday. He appeared via a video link in the courthouse. He was flanked by his public defender, Dan King, and he was informed – does he understand the charges, or does he understand in the initial charge, and does he understand his rights? And he did say yes. He appeared dazed. He was wearing a vest. And he was slurring his speech a little bit as well.

SIEGEL: He was physically in jail for this appearance by – via video?

MARKUS: Yes, yes.

SIEGEL: This is all about the state charges that are going to be brought against Mr. Dear. There’s also talk of federal charges being brought against him.

MARKUS: That’s right. There’s a couple of things going on here. One, there’s a federal law that he can be charged under that protects access to abortion clinics. And two, he’s been labeled by many, including the mayor of Colorado Springs, as a domestic terrorist. However, that mayor, John Suthers, who used to be Colorado’s attorney general, indicated that that was unlikely, that this would probably be handled locally.

SIEGEL: The police have not released a lot of information about the shooting. What do we know so far about what happened on Friday?

MARKUS: We don’t know much. The judges sealed the arrest and search warrants. The police are pretty tightlipped about any kind of motive. He lived a pretty lonely lifestyle, this Robert Dear, and so we don’t know much about him or what his motives are at this point.

SIEGEL: When you say people don’t know much about his motives, is part of the question, did he – was he connected in any way to any person who had anything to do with that particular Planned Parenthood clinic, for example? We don’t even know that much.

MARKUS: We don’t. He lived about an hour-and-a-half west, in a rural mountain town, from Colorado Springs. It’s not clear if he had any particular connection to that clinic.

SIEGEL: What’s next for him? What’s next for Robert Dear?

MARKUS: So on Friday, he’ll be formally charged. After that, he will have the opportunity to have a preliminary hearing or not. And long-term, the prosecution is have – going to have to decide whether or not to pursue the death penalty in this case.

SIEGEL: How would you describe the reactions there to this case in Colorado Springs?

MARKUS: It seems like – the people that I’ve talked to around Colorado Springs feel a little beat up. This is the second shooting – high-profile shooting in the city within a month. In the last few years, they’ve endured, you know, horrific wildfires and floods. They’re in the headlines for all the wrong reasons lately.

SIEGEL: And I would assume that the headlines in Colorado Springs are dominated by what happened last Friday these days.

MARKUS: Absolutely.

SIEGEL: The clinic in question is closed now. Were the other Planned Parenthood clinics in Colorado open today?

MARKUS: The other Planned Parenthood clinics are open. This clinic isn’t expected to open, obviously, for a while. There is a lot of construction that needs to be done to fix, especially the front-end of, the clinic. But there are clinics around the state that are still open.

SIEGEL: OK. Ben Markus of Colorado Public Radio in Colorado Springs, thanks for talking with us.

MARKUS: Thanks for having me.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio.

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Sports November 30, 2015

Kobe Bryant To End 20-Year NBA Career After This Season

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Kobe Bryant’s 20-year NBA career will come to an end this spring. The longtime Laker announced his coming retirement Sunday with a poem. NPR’s Kelly McEvers talks with Adrian Garcia Marquez, who calls Laker games for Time Warner Cable Deportes, about Bryant’s career.

Transcript

KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:

One of the best basketball players ever has announced his retirement.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KOBE BRYANT: Do I want to play (laughter) again or don’t I? That’s a very – it’s a very simple question, but it’s a hard question when you look in the mirror and ask yourself. And the reality is, no, I don’t. So why belabor it (laughter)?

MCEVERS: Yesterday, Lakers guard Kobe Bryant said that this season will be his last. He broke the news with a poem that appeared on the website The Players’ Tribune. In his 20 seasons as a pro, Bryant has won five NBA titles. He played in 17 All-Star games, and he scored the third most points in league history. There was controversy early in his career. He was accused of sexual assault in 2003, a charge that was later dropped.

Adrian Garcia Marquez calls Laker games for Time Warner Cable Deportes. We reached him this morning, just before his plane took off for Philadelphia, where the Lakers play tomorrow night. I asked him why Kobe Bryant made this announcement now.

ADRIAN GARCIA MARQUEZ: He calculates everything he does. And I think, after analyzing quite a few things, especially the body and the mind, maybe his heart, maybe his mind says do this; shoot that; make this. But the body sometimes was lacking to catch up. And he’s starting to realize that, I think. And Kobe – that’s why, at the end of the day, after calculating carefully, he’s decided to officially announce that he’s going to retire.

MCEVERS: I mean, Kobe Bryant is famous everywhere. But here in LA, I mean, he’s basically a god. Can you just describe the relationship between Kobe and Laker fans?

MARQUEZ: Wow. It’s – you know, I’ve had the privilege of covering major league baseball, boxing, the NFL and soccer, you know? And I have – very few times have I seen an audience, an area, a region love an athlete as much as the Laker fans love Kobe Bryant. And I think a lot of people were hoping that Kobe would catch lightning in a bottle this year and drop 20, 30, 40 points a night. And when he’s not doing that, I think everybody gets a little weirded out about, you know, not seeing as much, as we call him, Kobe Bryant perform the way he’s always performed.

So I think seeing that mortality, I guess Laker fans have come to the realization that this is definitely it for Kobe Bryant. And Kobe, I think, realized that as well. And they’re going to move forward. And – but Laker fans love Kobe Bean Bryant, make no mistake. He can do no wrong in their eyes.

MCEVERS: You have covered Kobe Bryant at the games for four years now. I mean, how was he changed as a player and also as a person?

MARQUEZ: We’ve always seen – and that’s why, you know, in our broadcast, in Spanish, I’ll call him El Macho – The Alpha. You see – Kobe just, you know, has that scowl. You know, like, he’s just mean. He just wants to beat you. And so I saw that Kobe when I first arrived. And now I see Kobe the teacher, Kobe that talks to the young player, Kobe that kind of pulls a guy to the side – hey, listen; this, this and that, when in the past, Kobe was like, hey, I expect you to run with me and keep up with me, no questions asked; we want to win. And now I think Kobe’s been more nurturing. If I’ve seen anything, Kobe’s become more of a padrino – godfather of sorts to some of these players because there’s a lot that comes from playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

MCEVERS: I understand that Kobe Bryant retired by way of a poem. Did you read it? Can you tell me about it?

MARQUEZ: Yeah. You know, I heard a lot of people at Staples Center last night, including my wife, said that her eyes got watery just reading it because it was so sincere. And that’s the one thing I think we all know about Kobe Bryant, if anything, is that good or bad, Darth Vader or not, he was always sincere about what he was expressing. And that poem, I think, captured precisely that.

MCEVERS: Adrian Garcia Marquez, thank you so much.

MARQUEZ: Not a problem. Viva la mamba negra (ph).

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NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio.

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Sports November 29, 2015

Kobe Bryant Announces Retirement (In The Form Of A Poem)

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant stands on the court during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in early November. On Sunday, Bryant announced this season would be his last, in a poem posted online.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant stands on the court during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in early November. On Sunday, Bryant announced this season would be his last, in a poem posted online. Mark J. Terrill/AP hide caption

toggle caption Mark J. Terrill/AP

In a poem posted on the Players’ Tribune website, five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant says that this season will be his last.

The 37-year-old Lakers player “is currently struggling through the worst season of his illustrious 20-year NBA career,” as Reuters puts it.

The injury-plagued star has been very well compensated for his disappointing performance, reports ESPN:

… Despite the rough start to the season, the Lakers have publicly supported Bryant. Lakers coach Byron Scott told ESPN on Friday that he would not bench the 17-time All-Star for his poor play.

Bryant is in the final year of a two-year deal that will pay him $25 million in 2015-16, making him the NBA’s highest-paid player this season.

In his poem, “Dear Basketball,” Kobe writes that he has loved the sport ever since he was a kid rolling up socks and “shooting imaginary / game-winning shots.”

“You asked for my hustle / I gave you my heart,” he writes — and, later, “This season is all I have left to give.”

You can read the full poem at The Players’ Tribune. (The site is down as of Sunday night, but you can still access the Google cache.)

It ends like this:

My heart can take the pounding
My mind can handle the grind
But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.

And that’s OK.
I’m ready to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
We have given each other
All that we have.

And we both know, no matter what I do next
I’ll always be that kid
With the rolled up socks
Garbage can in the corner
:05 seconds on the clock
Ball in my hands.
5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1

Love you always,
Kobe

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