Kobe Bryant, NBA MVP who had a 20 year career with the Lakers, was killed Sunday in a helicopter crash. His daughter, Gianna Bryant, 13, was also on board and died.
The Los Angeles Times confirmed that the helicopter crashed into one of the hills in Calabasas and exploded immediately. Nine people died in the accident.
As the world seemingly stopped at the devastating news, we all looked back to our childhood and reflected on Kobe and his legacy. Many of us didn’t know him personally, but his influence, thoughtfulness and ability to bring families and friends together, in addition to his organic talent, made us all connect with him.
For me, Bryant was a topic of discussion when talking to my dad on lazy weekends or at the dinner table. He made my parents reminisce about what the world was like when he first started playing and how his influence was SO great. He was still impacting aspiring basketball players and non-basketball players alike in my generation.
Kobe, a loving father, a devoted husband and philanthropist of his community sparked a cry and feeling of unity across every social media platform. Like many of us, celebrities like Tom Brady and John Legend took to twitter to express their deepest condolences.
President Barack Obama also expressed his condolences by acknowledging the sheer impact Kobe had on the game and athletes everywhere.
Nemar paid respect to the late legend by holding up a two and four on his fingers.
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Kobe spoke candidly about his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who was determined to continue the family legacy by playing basketball. She played competitively in the Mamba Academy where she was coached by her father, and was determined to one day play in the WNBA. Gianna was the second oldest of Kobe’s 4 daughters.
As we remember the life and legacy of Kobe Bryant, we all feel a need to be better than we were yesterday. We must take the time to let our loved ones and the people surrounding us know how much they matter. Every single day.