By Bryce Kelly, Staff Writer
John F. Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963. The Challenger explosion in January 1986. The Sept. 11, 2001 terrorists attacks. Anyone who was alive during these events remembers where they were and what they were doing when these occurred. For sports fans and even some non-sports fans, Kobe Bryant’s death is the same.
I will always remember how I found out about Bryant’s death. My mock trial team had just finished our final trial. Phones weren’t allowed. So, at about 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, I found out about Bryant’s passing when someone came running into the courtroom and yelled: “Holy crap! Kobe Bryant died!” At first, I didn’t believe the news. It was Kobe Bryant after all. The guy seemed invincible. This was the same guy who made clutch free throws on a torn Achilles six years ago. Five years ago, Bryant tore his rotator cuff and stayed in the game. He even hit his signature turnaround jumper left-handed.
When I realized Bryant died, I was in disbelief. My mood changed completely. My mood worsened after opening my phone for the first time in a few hours. Every social media post was about Kobe. I realized I wasn’t the only one feeling utter shock.
Like most celebrities, Kobe didn’t seem like he was cut from the same cloth as the rest of us. The guy is an NBA legend. He was a pioneer for the NBA. He was one of the trendsetters for players jumping from high school to the pros. He was an 18-time NBA All-Star, a five-time NBA champion, an NBA MVP and a 15-time All-NBA player. A definite top-10 player of all time. There are too many accolades to list them all.
Bryant was a cultural icon. His work ethic and competitiveness, better known as his “Mamba Mentality,” have reached a mythical lore over the years. Anyone who is familiar with sports at all has yelled, “Kobe!” before throwing something into the trash.
Bryant has been compared to Michael Jordan ever since Bryant entered the NBA. There is good reason for the comparison. Bryant and Jordan shared a similar insane drive to win. Jordan won six championships, Kobe won five. They even shared the same signature move: the fadeaway jump shot.
What separated Bryant and Jordan was their evolution as cultural figures. Jordan was always seen as a competitive maniac and somewhat of a jerk off the court. He was never too friendly with the media and has rarely been in the public eye since his retirement.
Bryant seemed like he was going down the same path as Jordan early in his career, but he changed. He started being more friendly with the media toward the end of his career. He was an ambassador for all basketball, especially the women’s game after his retirement. He gave up his time to work out with up-and-coming players and speak with the best young female players. He was outwardly a great dad. He coached his daughter Gigi’s travel team, which makes both of their deaths even more tragic. Kobe was traveling with his daughter, some of her teammates and their parents to a basketball game when they all died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas.
Bryant was also venturing outside of basketball during his retirement. His company, Granity Studios, had published multiple children’s books. Bryant won an Oscar last year for his short film, “Dear Basketball.”
All these factors add up to a level of grief over Bryant’s death that we haven’t seen. We haven’t seen a sports icon this big transfer their success into pop culture like Bryant did. Although Bryant played 20 years in the NBA, he was only 41 years old. He was so young. He was just getting started in the second chapter of his life.
Bryant’s death is horrible. There is no silver lining to this story. Bryant’s legacy will live on, however. He has left too big of a mark on this world to be forgotten. We can honor Kobe and Gigi by having a “mamba mentality” to make the world a better place.
kellybw19@bonaventure
