Crashing in his Lockheed-Martin, Zikorsky S-76, 12-passenger helicopter in the foggy hills of Calabasas, Calif., at 9: 45 AM, PST, Jan. 26, 41-year-old NBA legend Kobe Bean Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna [Gigi], and seven other passengers perished in a fireball Sunday morning. News of Kobe’s untimely death spread like wildfire across the sports’ world where he left an indelible mark by his excellence on-and-off the basketball court. Bryant retired from a 20-year NBA career April 13, 2016, scoring an unprecedented 60-points against the Utah Jazz in his final game at the Staples Center. What over 17,000 screaming fans saw, together with millions around the world, was Kobe’s fierce, career-long determination to succeed. Returning from dreaded Achilles tendon surgery, Kobe never made it back to the NBA Finals but showed the world his courage and legacy.
Kobe’s legacy was about not just about his raw basketball talent but about his work ethic, that his peers recognized as second to none. Kobe’s last game was supposed to honor his 20-year career but turned into Kobe’s gift back to his fans, watching him leave his heart-and-soul on the court. Scoring 60 points in his retirement game was unprecedented in NBA history. Kobe’s own idol, Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan, scored 15 points April 16, 2003 in his final game with the Washington Wizards at age 40. Kobe’s final performance in a Lakers’ uniform personified his career, earning him five NBA championships, 18-appearances in the NBA All-Star Game and every other accolade in his sport. Kobe’s untimely death with his daughter Gigi mirrors how he spent his life after basketball, as a family-man, raising his four daughters, inspiring Gigi to a possible WNBA career.
At the time 17-year-old Kobe was signed by former Lakers’ executive Jerry West June 26, 1996 as the 13th First Round pick of the Charlotte Hornets, he was already an articulate young man. While he came from Philly’s town of Ardmore, Lower Merion High School, Kobe spent much of his youth in Italy playing basketball, living with his father former NBA player Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, coaching several Italian basketball teams. Kobe was fluent in English and Italian, also speaking French and Serbian. Whether West knew at the time Kobe would turn into an NBA legend is anyone’s guess. What he knew for sure is that Kobe was an exceptional, sophisticated teenager with unlimited potential on-and-off the court. Kobe won admiration of his basketball peers not only for his fiercely competitive nature and superb basketball skills but because he was the most articulate player in the league.
Kobe’s death, within a smaller NBA and celebrity community, is strangely reminiscent of the death of President John F. Kennedy Nov. 22, 1963. People on the streets all over the country and beyond were in shock, grieving openly over one of the most beloved president’s in U.S. history. Watching current and retired NBA players and fans speechless, unable to contain their emotions, harks back to the JFK assassination. When you looked at the crowds swarming the crash site in Calabasas and Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, you could see-and-hear the same shock, disbelief and grief not seen since JFK’s death. “For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning,” said 58-year-old NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. Silver tried to digest the true meaning and legacy of Kobe Bean Bryant.
Reactions to Kobe’s death came far-and-wide, derailing festivities at the yearly Hollywood Grammy Awards, where Kobe’s death eclipsed the mood at America’s premier music awards’ show. “He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are legendary . . . but he will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability. “ Reactions to Kobe’s death show that he transcended basketball, setting the best example of an American Dream built off hard-work, determination and much-deserved success. Two years after retirement, Kobe won an Oscar March 4, 2018 for his animated short film, “Dear Basketball.” Kobe told the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that his Academy Award was as important as his NBA titles.
Praising Kobe the night before his death in Philadelphia after passing him as the third most prolific scorer in NBA history, 35-year-old Lakers’ guard LeBron James shared high praise for Kobe. “Happy to just be in any conversation with Kobe Bean Bryant, one of the all-time greatest basketball players to ever play. One of the all-time greatest Lakers,” James said, eerily reflecting as if eulogizing Kobe’s life. Twelve hours later, Los Angeles Sheriff Alex Villanueva confirmed the deaths of nine persons in a fiery helicopter crash taking the lives of Kobe, his daughter Gigi and 7 others. “I remember one thing he [Kobe] said at a childhood basketball camp,” James said. “If you want to become great at it, or want to be one of the greats, you’ve got to put the work in,” James recalled Saturday night. Kobe’s life-and-work was symbolized in his final game: Leave it all on the court—whatever you do.
