RIP #24

I am an unapologetic sports fan. Baseball has always been my favorite - but basketball ranks a close second. Ask basketball fans who was the best to play the game and you will get a variety of answers, because it’s subjective - for me it was Michael Jordan. He was the reason I fell in love with the game.

Laker fans, if asked that same question, would probably all give the same answer -  #24, Kobe Bryant. Until this past Saturday, he was the 3rd NBA all time Points Leader. He played his entire career in LA, was a 5 time NBA champion, 2 time Olympic gold medal winner, the list goes on and on. He was the face of the franchise, he was - A competitor, he was a winner. 

But he wasn’t just an amazing player, he was a husband and father. He was an Oscar winner (“Dear Basketball”), a children’s book author. He spoke Italian fluently and was a mentor to those that came after him in a sport he loved. 

He admitted that once he retired, he didn’t watch basketball games - until his second oldest daughter, Gianna, started playing. He was recently seen at a Brooklyn Nets game with the 13 year old, clearly sharing his 20 years of basketball wisdom with her. When asked about it later he said that she loved the game, as he did growing up and she hoped to one day play pro basketball just like her dad. He recounted that someone came up to him not long ago and said “You need to have a son, to carry on the legacy.”. When hearing this, Gianna said “Nah, I got this”. She clearly inherited her father’s confidence. 

Sadly, as most of the world is now aware, Kobe and Gianna Bryant were killed on Sunday, January 26th, in a helicopter crash on the way to her basketball game. Gianni was part of a travel team, which Kobe coached. The depth of this tragedy is unimaginable. Gianna was one of three young ladies on the helicopter. In total all nine lives aboard were cut down too soon. 

For the NBA, this is a tough blow, one that will be felt for years to come. There are few players that ascend to the level Kobe did. He was beloved around the league, the country and the world; and those that knew who he was, went well beyond basketball and sports fans. At 41, he had so much more to offer the world, especially the world of basketball. All we are left with is what could have been.  

Rest in Peace #24. You will live on in the hearts of those who loved you, those who admired you and those who loved to watched you play. Your legacy will never be forgotten.