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It was January 26, 2020. I was at the house of our other co-creator of the Real Sports Marks AZ, Chris. We were getting ready to watch the Royal Rumble via the network, when I decided to check my phone for updates. Then out of the blue, I saw an update that made me do a double take, then I thought nothing of it. I showed it to Chris and he thought it was a typo. Another update popped up, then another, and another. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Is this really happening? This isn't supposed to be. Unfortunately, it was. The headline looked at me as I saw it in sadness.
"Kobe Bryant and other passengers were killed in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles earlier today".
It was later confirmed that Kobe's 13 year old daughter, Gianna was among the passengers in the crash. This was eerie. Just the night before, Kobe tweeted congrats to LeBron James after James passed him on the all-time scoring list and the next day, Kobe was gone. As news outlets pressed the tragic news, the outpouring of condolences reached a fever pitch. See, Kobe wasn't just a basketball player, he was an ambassador and a focal spokesman for the sport. He had a segment on ESPN called Detail and ran his basketball camp, which his daughter Gianna was a part of. The man kept busy after his paying days were over.
If you are a die-hard basketball fan, you watched Kobe evolve from a skinny 18 year old kid from Philadelphia to become one of the greatest players in NBA history. There were moments that were etched in the annals of time. His slam dunk championship in 1997, the 81-point game against Toronto, the lob to Shaq to seal a Finals appearance as the Staples Center whipped into a frenzy, the many championship wins and the capper, his 60 point performance in his final game. Through all that, the attribute everyone praised Kobe Bryant for was his will to win. His "Mamba Mentality" separated himself from other of his peers. Most thought that Kobe was a jerk, because of his drive. All the greats have that passion where they have to be hard on their teammates to fire them up to succeed. Jordan was tough. LeBron is. It comes with the territory, I guess. Bryant would translate that drive to two more championships after the Lakers traded Shaq to the Miami Heat.
I live in Suns' country and am also a Sacramento Kings' fan. In this area, Kobe Bryant was the enemy. Both the Suns and Kings are franchises that still trying to find success. Kobe played for the Los Angeles Lakers, a franchise which has enjoyed championship glory, the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, media attention, Showtime basketball and Jack Nicholson sitting at courtside. He was the enemy. For the Kings fan in me, he was on the team that referee Tim Donaghy and an officiating crew which favored the Lakers in Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals. But it wasn't Kobe's fault. As a Suns backer, Bryant would break the hearts of Phoenix basketball fans with his late game heroics. But even if you thought he was the enemy, you respected him because of his greatness on the court. His competitiveness made it difficult to boo him despite him being the "enemy". He had to be tough towards the end of his career when his body started to break down and he was playing for a losing Lakers squad. People praised his loyalty. Whether you loved the man or hated him, you respected his aura in the sport.
It's been a year since Kobe Bryant's untimely death and the tributes continue to pile up even now. Many fans were shocked and saddened by the events of January 26, 2020. His "Mamba Mentality" mantra continues to live on through social media or any type of media, for that matter. LeBron was disheartened by Kobe's death and vowed to win a championship in his honor. So, the new leader of the Lakers took the team by using Kobe as motivation and despite a break due to a pandemic, the Lakers completed the job and won the NBA championship. They named the All-Star Game MVP award after Kobe and was announced that he will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. During the past year, fans and even non-basketball fans have continued to praise Kobe Bryant for enriching their lives with his toughness and his heroics on the basketball court.
He was the enemy, but the enemy that you rooted for.
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