Kobe Bryant. When you strip away the name, the mega million dollar contracts and endorsements what do you find? What is at the core of a professional athlete defined by his MVP title and Gold medal? What would Kobe look like in a light any color but lime?

The answer is a kid.

Last weekend I followed Kobe around the city of Chicago, IL to find him off the court, kickin’ it with kids.

I suppose it’s a wise choice for the King of the Court to surround himself with kids. Kids play simply for the love of the game. As adults we tend to lose sight of this motive and get lost in politics and money in sports.

As the weekend progressed it was evident Kobe has never lost touch with his inner kid.

From After School All Stars, a program that serves 290 Chicago Public Schools, to our private interview, Kobe let it be known the weekend was about the kids. At his first stop he was greeted by 24 next generation Nike designers who customized the new Kobe Zoom IV’s.

“It’s important to have our youth apply their energy into something constructive,” Bryant said of the program.

The winning team, Venom, scored tickets to Sat night’s game and watched Kobe score 28 points in their personalized kicks.

I’m not sure who was more excited, the kids or Kobe!

Next up Kobe hit the courts to work with the kids on their game. From changing the tempo of their dribble on offense, to establishing a routine before shooting free throws. Kobe shared the secrets to his success. He was hands on with his coaching, taking the time to work with the kids individually.

As the father of two daughters, you can tell he simply loves kids. He even touched on the importance of his daughters having strong female role models, like the soccer stars in the United States’ new Women’s Professional Soccer League.

“We want them to have female examples that show, it’s ok to be competitive,” said Kobe.

The weekend was surreal, chillin’ with Kobe. It gave me a behind the scenes look into the life of a star that is constantly in the limelight. But this weekend was different. We didn’t get lost in hype of KB or talk too much about championships. This weekend was about the kids and it couldn’t have be more evident that Kobe is one of them.

-Meghan