The NBA and the sport’s world is mourning the passing of Kobe Bryant killed in an helicopter crash along side his 13 year old daughter Gianna Bryant as well as seven others who have not been named yet.
Kobe was a polarizing player, you either loved him or you didn’t, but you could not deny his greatness. Kobe was one of those rare players who made the jump from high school to the NBA and flourished. In 1996 he was named Prep Player Of the Year. He would be drafted by the Charlotte Hornets but would be traded to the LA Lakers on draft night. He would win the Slam Dunk title in 1997 and was named 2nd team All Rookie.
Kobe stepped into Los Angeles following the likes of Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and the legends of the past. He would not only live up to the legacy he would eclipse them. He became the only guard to play 20 seasons in the NBA. Surprisingly he would only win 1 MVP award (2008) but he led the Lakers to 5 Championships. He would be named Finals MVP twice. He played in 18 All Star games and would be named MVP of the game 4 times.
Kobe would go to score 33,643 points which was 3rd most all time when he retired. Just Saturday night, the night before he tragically died Lebron James passed him to move to 3rd place. In his final tweet Kobe would congratulate Lebron on passing him. He grabbed 7047 rebounds and dished out 6306 assists.
Kobe Bryant career was unmatched. Just look at these accolades. Kobe was an 18 time All Star, named to the All NBA team 15 times, and 12 time All defense team. He was named 1st team All NBA 11 times, 2nd team All NBA twice and 3rd team All NBA twice. He was a 9 time 1st team Defensive member as well. He was a 5 time World Champion and won 2 Gold Medals in the Olympics in 2008 and 2012.
The Los Angeles Lakers had already retired his jerseys #8 & #24.
Tributes have poured in through social media all afternoon since his passing. Shaquille O’neal a former teammate with the Lakers had this to say on Twitter, “There’s no words to express the pain Im going through with this tragedy of loosing my neice Gigi & my brother @kobebryant I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW”. Michael Jordan had this to say,”I loved Kobe — he was like a little brother to me. We used to talk often, and I will miss those conversations very much. He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force. Kobe was also an amazing dad who loved his family deeply — and took great pride in his daughter’s love for the game of basketball. Yvette joins me in sending my deepest condolences to Vanessa, the Lakers organization and basketball fans around the world.”
The loss of Kobe has also affected those close to here. Madison Southern Head Coach Austin Newton posted this to Facebook earlier, “The terrible news about Kobe and his daughter broke right before our team walked on the court for practice today. The only thing I knew to tell my guys was the same things we try to talk with them about everyday. Life is precious, hug your loved ones, be a great person, and get to know the Lord!” #RIPMamba
