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Opinion
Waking up Monday morning to the news that Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna had died was a truly heartbreaking experience.
Kobe and Gianna and seven others had their lives taken from them as their helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California.
The death of Kobe Bryant was a moment that made the whole sport world stop.
This article is purely to remember Kobe Byrant and all the amazing things he was able to achieve for the game of basketball.
As an 18-year-old boy I grew up watching Kobe play, and my love for basketball started around the time he was in the midst of his second title run with the Lakers.
Bryant had a profound effect on me and well all basketball fans at the time. Whether you loved or hated him, everyone had strong feeling about Kob Bryant the player – the cold-blooded assassin who would stop at nothing to get his team to victory.
As a fan of the Boston Celtics, the Lakers and Bryant’s biggest rival, there were many moments I despised what he was doing to my team on the court, but every time I watched Bryant play I knew I was watching greatness. Every time I played basketball I would try and be like Bryant.
Whenever anyone would throw any object into something round, they would yell, “Kobe!”. That is what Bryant did for the sport. He represented basketball.
Bryant’s career speaks for itself. He was a five-time NBA champion, a two-time finals MVP and a one-time MVP. He was fourth in all-time scoring, playing 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kobe Bryant will never be forgotten. Whether it was his efforts with Shaquille O’Neal and the Lakers going back to back to back, leading the Lakers of the late 2000s to two championships in arguably his proudest moment, or beating the Boston Celtics in Game 7 in the Staples Center to win the NBA championship. We’ll certainly never forget Bryant’s last game, when he went out truly in Mamba style by scoring 60 points.
Then there’s the success he had with team USA and his amazing moments in his 18 All-Star games. And of course there’s all the work Bryant did for women’s basketball as a constant supporter when at times it had few, recently even coaching his daughter’s basketball team.
Kobe Bryant will be remembered forever as having defining an era of basketball with his love and passion for winning and the sport itself.
Kobe Bryant, you will be missed.
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