The late NBA Legend Kobe Bryant had nothing, but mad love and respect for singer-songwriter Taylor Swift.
In his interview with Jordan Harbinger, Jordan said that wouldn’t it be funny if Kobe listened to Taylor Swift in his car.
Kobe said, “I do.”
Jordan was shocked. I believe Kobe did that purposefully.
Kobe said, “I think it’s important to listen to people, who do great things.”
Kobe explained, “Taylor has been at the top the game for a very long time. How and why? How does she write? How does she get into that mental space to create things over and over. It’s a lot of pressure for her to follow up a number one album with a better album. I don’t care if you don’t like her music. Look at what she’s doing. It’s frightening stuff! It’s unbelievable to pull that off over, and over, and over. I try to look and try to learn as much as I can.”
Like Kobe, I look at what Taylor is doing, what she’s accomplished. I admire Taylor as the singer-songwriter. I also look at what Kobe did, too. I try to learn from both of them. Like Kobe, maybe that makes me a Swiftie? Then I might be one of the Oldest Swifties on Planet Earth.
I was a big fan of Taylor Swift’s first albums and songs. I still think her best song is Love Story. That was 15-year-old Taylor hoping to find her love story, find her true love. Remember that.
I didn’t like all of her songs. That makes no difference. Look at what she’s doing. Taylor perfected her craft in so many different music genera, whether that was country, pop, dance, or folk. She also wrote songs for major motion pictures like Hunger Games.
Over her 20-year career, Taylor Swift sold 116.77 million album-equivalent units in the US and 7 million pure albums in the United Kingdom as of May 2025. Those sales came from 54 million albums sold in the US and 70.7 billion streams worldwide.
Taylor’s Eras Tour grossed $2.2 billion over 10 million tickets across 149 shows on 5 continents. Her Eras Tour is the highest grossing concert tour of all-time.
Taylor has won 14 Grammy Awards. She won 4 Album of the Year Grammy Awards. No one else has done so. Taylor Swift really might be the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) Musical Artist.
No one worked harder being the greatest he could be than the late 5-time NBA Champion, NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant. Kobe said that he didn’t have a problem with people who didn’t have his work ethic. He said, “I have a problem with people who expect to be great, but don’t put in the work.” Amen.
That’s what Kobe meant by being a killer. Someone who puts in the work to be the best that that they can be. Kobe did that with basketball and his movie storytelling. Taylor does that with her music and concert performances. I do that with Aikido and my writing. We work on ourselves, not on others. We just train.
Kobe called out Taylor as a killer, in a good way. About Taylor, he said, “You can’t have that level of consistent success and not be a killer. It’s impossible.”
When 15-year-old Taylor signed her first record contract, she signed away her rights to the masters of her first 6 albums. The Record company owned the master recordings. They were the only ones, who could profit from Taylor’s original music.
When her record company first sold the masters, Taylor was heartbroken. Still as a killer, I’m guessing that she was more angry. Taylor decided to re-record her first 6 albums as Taylor’s Version so that she could own her music out right. The Record Industry all thought she was insane.
Yet, they underestimated killer businesswoman Taylor. She re-recorded her first 6 albums in studio with the original writers, artists, and musicians. Her fan base, the loyal Swifties, made Taylor’s Version the Worldwide Bestsellers all over again.
In 2025 after the Eras Tour, business savvy Taylor bought back the rights for her beloved masters. She now owned all her original music. Like Kobe said, she’s a killer.
Taylor Swift made her first ever podcast appearance on boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce’s New Heights. Taylor literally broke the Internet with over 20 million views. Travis Kelce is the Kansas City Chiefs Tightend, 3-time Super Bowl Champion, and future NFL Hall of Famer. Travis might be the GOAT NFL Tightend.
Taylor said that she wanted to circle back and thank New Heights for giving her, her boyfriend Travis, who used the podcast as his own personal dating app. She told Jason how she met Travis at her concert at Arrowhead Stadium. She thought, “Is this guy crazy?”
Taylor said, “But if this guy isn’t crazy. Then like it’s basically like every song I’ve ever written since I was like a teenager, come to life.” She found her love story. Taylor found the great love of her life in Travis.
On August 26, 2025, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced on Social Media that they were engaged. Shockingly, ESPN was one of the first to announce their engagement. Taylor might be the Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment and the NFL.
I was happy for Taylor and Travis. Obviously, I’m no expert on love, when it comes to my personal life. Still I look at Taylor and Travis, and I get they’re in love. They are happy together. They are kind to each other. They have fun together. Teenage Taylor lived out her wish from her songs. She got her love story. A killer love story. Even killers need and deserve their love story. I’m sure the late Kobe Bryant would agree.
I’m on the journey to find my love story. I’m not gifted like Travis Kelce. He’s the Man. Still, if Travis can find his Taylor Swift, maybe it’s possible I can, too. There are always possibilities.
In the Fairytale, Travis and Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl 60. Travis retires. He’s First Ballot NFL Hall of Fame. Taylor retires from touring. They get married. They start a family. They live happy ever after.
Perhaps, some of that might be just fairytale. Still, I believe the happy ever after part is for real. Nothing, but mad love and respect to Taylor and Travis. Live happy ever after. Have a killer happy ever after.
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Photo by Jovan Vasiljević on Unsplash
