Los Angeles Lakers legend and soon to be a Hall of Famer, Kobe Bryant died in an aviation accident as he and his daughter, along with 7 other people were on their way to a basketball game.
Love him or hate him, Bryant is one of the greatest basketball players in history. His relentless hunger for greatness makes him as the fiercest competitor you’ll ever see in an athlete. Sad to say, his journey was cut short due to an aviation accident. It was reported around 10 AM PST that the crushed occurred on the hills of Calabasas as fire broke out. Firefighters and emergency teams tried to get to the scene as quickly as possible but due to the helicopter engulfed in flames, it made it too difficult for them to reach it.
Hours have already passed after the unfortunate event happened and rightfully so, it is considered an international incident.
The Legacy of the Black Mamba
Kobe Bryant was a high school phenom who started his NBA dream with the Los Angeles Lakers. Although a lot of sports analysts questioned him being raw at that time, Bryant showed without a shadow of a doubt during his career, that he is a basketball legend. The Black Mamba’s resume is historic, to say the least. A 5x NBA Champion, 2x Finals MVP, 1x NBA Regular Season MVP, 18x NBA All-Star, 2x Gold Medalist and multiple time member of NBA First Team, Bryant is a certified first-ballot Hall of Famer. Kobe retired a few years ago due to injuries he sustained throughout his career.
He stepped out of the NBA but not from the game of basketball.
The Black Mamba started embarking in his new career as a mentor and a tutor to young aspiring basketball players to NBA players alike. With all of his accomplishments, Kobe is sighted to have an innate feel for the game and passionate like no one else. The new generation right now considered Kobe as their role model when they were growing up.
Even The King, LeBron James stated his admiration and high praise to Kobe Bean Bryant. Kobe’s influence on the game can be seen to the myriad of basketball players right now.
NBA Mourns
His patented fade away, a more dynamic version than arguably the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan, is still being mimicked today. Reigning Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard added this to his arsenal thus making him harder to guard especially in pinch post position.
DeMar DeRozan also is widely considered as a student of the midrange game. Until now, he and Kawhi are two of the most proficient players using Kobe’s moves. NBA is devastated by the tragedy as they opted to cancel some of the games today. Rockets and Nuggets also temporarily stopped the game to mourn Kobe Bryant’s death. San Antonio Spurs and defending champions, Toronto Raptors honored him by running the 24-second shot clock as a tribute to Kobe who wore number 24 most of his career.
Right now, players, athletes, celebrities and everybody who knows Kobe are still traumatized with his passing. Basketball fans, especially Kobe’s fans are showing their utmost respect as they relive the life of The Black Mamba through social media. Michael Jordan who is often compared to Kobe Bryant has already commented on Kobe’s death as he described him as a "younger brother, fierce competitor and a creative force".
