On Sunday, the sporting world received the shocking news that basketball icon, former Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant, along with his thirteen year old daughter, Gianna, and seven other people, had died in a helicopter crash, Calabasas, California.
As news of the tragedy emanated instantaneously around the world, basketball fans reeling in disbelief, ceased whatever they were doing, and immediately began contacting relatives and close friends. The rest of the day was generally spent reflecting on Bryant’s achievements and waiting for news of how and why the crash had occurred.
The script is not written this way for past superstars. Legends are supposed to make television appearances, give radio interviews, dispense knowledge to younger players, show up and play in perpetua on Old Timers’ Day, be in attendance at courtside and lead the cheering when their team makes another championship run, become fixtures at retirement and Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and live to a ripe old age. Legends are not supposed to die at the tender age of forty-one.
Bryant’s professional career is well documented. After leading his High School to a state championship, he skipped college, and at the slender age of seventeen (his parents had to co-sign his first NBA contract) followed in his father’s footsteps and became a professional basketball player. Selected thirteenth in the first round by the Charlotte Hornets, Kobe was traded to the Lakers in a deal engineered by the Lakers general manager and past legend, Jerry West, prior to the draft.
In a career spanning twenty years with the Lakers, the longest tenure ever by any player with one team, Kobe’s numerous highlights included five NBA titles, one Most Valuable Player award, two scoring titles, and several All Star appearances. The youngest player to reach the plateau of 30,000 points, Kobe was third on the all time scoring list with 33,643 points, with a career average of 25 points per game when he retired four seasons ago.
As the tributes continue to pour in following his death, the one common theme echoed by his weeping past team mates, was his work ethic. No one worked harder at the game than Kobe. Like all greats, he was never satisfied with his play and always sought to improve. Kobe will be remembered as a scoring machine, but he was voted nine times to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and twice to the Second Team. Quite an achievement when it is noted that he didn’t become a starter until his third season and the final four years of his career were injury plagued.
Bryant was not the easiest of teammates to play with. He waged feuds with fellow legend Shaq O’Neal during their championship years and his coach Phil Jackson. Kobe had a bit of a reputation as a ball hog, exemplified by having missed the most shots in NBA history. Bryant, a superstar on court, was only human away from the court. The one ink blot on his personal life was a claim of rape by a nineteen year old woman. Although the criminal charges were later dropped, the subsequent lawsuit left a mark on what had been an unblemished public image.
Kobe Bryant will forever be remembered as of one of the links in the chain that connects the great players, the crown which he inherited from Michael Jordan having being passed to Lebron James before his retirement. Of course, the transfer of the title of the King of the NBA, among those three superstars, was marred by furious battles, much to the delight of basketball falls.
In retirement, Kobe, a man with many business interests, appeared to be adjusting well to life after basketball. His family had become his focus and he was a doting father to his four daughters and was the coach of Gianna’s team.
As the sporting world mourns his tragic death, we can take the time to reflect on the opening stanzas of the poem he penned, expressing his love for the game of basketball, on the announcement of his retirement.
“Dear Basketball,
From the moment
I started rolling my dad’s tube socks
And shooting imaginary
Game-winning shots
In the Great Western Forum
[original Lakers arena]
I knew one thing was real:
I fell in love with you.
A love so deep I gave you my all –
From my mind & body
To my spirit & soul”
