By: Nick Frieburger | Social Media Coordinator
When I first heard the news about Kobe Bryant’s death , I probably had the same reaction as everyone else; shocked. Kobe always seemed like one of those guys who would always just stick around the game of basketball no matter what. He was a person you could never imagine passing away, especially at such a young age. Whether it was sitting court side at a Lakers game critiquing everything the players did or coaching his thirteen year old daughter’s AAU team, his life revolved around the game of basketball.
After the initial shock of what happened wore off, people started going about things in many different ways. People were bringing up his sexual assault allegations in 2003 or were wondering why Kobe was in a helicopter on a day with such bad weather, but others like myself could be found on YouTube reliving some of his memories.
If you know me, you probably know that I am one of the biggest Celtics fans on Earth. I was raised to hate everything about the Lakers, the Celtics biggest rival, but there was something about Kobe Bryant that was just different. He probably ripped my heart out more times than I can remember.
The time that sticks out the most is when his Lakers beat my Celtics in game 7 of the 2010 NBA finals. I remember the day was June 16th, 2010. It still sticks in my mind because that was one of the most recent memories of being a sports fan that I still have. I’ve despised the Lakers before that and ever since, but I actually respected Kobe. He was unlike many of the other superstars in today’s game. He wasn’t about all the fame and drama, he just wanted to play basketball and to win.
I will never forget the time Kobe tore his achilles but decided to stay on the court and shoot two free throws, or the time he injured his right shoulder and decided to keep playing shooting with his left hand. He was for sure a warrior and absolutely nothing could take him off the court.
Hearing all the stories about him after he passed away from many NBA players was truly amazing. My personal favorite one was from Lou Williams who is currently on the Los Angeles Clippers but was teammates with Kobe on the Los Angeles Lakers a few years back. William’s said after a blowout loss against Portland, Kobe took the shoes from every player wearing his signature shoe and said they couldn’t wear them because they were “soft.”
It’s amazing to see the way Kobe affected the young players playing today, especially those on the Celtics. Even though players like Jayson Tatum and Gordon Hayward were players on the Lakers’ rival team, Kobe loved basketball so much he would train anyone. He spent weeks with Hayward and Tatum over time helping solidify their games and become the best players they can be. Other players on the Celtics may not have gotten that chance to train with Kobe, but he was a guy they grew up watching or even played against and learned from him by watching his greatness.
In the following days after Kobe’s passing, the reaction of players, coaches, analysts, former teammates really spoke to the fact about what Kobe Bryant meant to the game of basketball. So many players were doing things to honor him and his daughter Gianna like changing their jersey numbers or writing Kobe’s name on their sneakers. The NBA is honoring Kobe and Gianna by having the two teams in the all star game wear their numbers. Team Giannis Antetokounmpo will wear number 24 in honor of Kobe Bryant, and Team Lebron James will wear number 2 in honor of Gianna Bryant.
Kobe may not have been a perfect human being, but he left his legacy as one of the greatest NBA players and basketball minds of all time. Basketball and the NBA will truly not be the same without his presence and knowledge. Rest in peace to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna as well as the seven other victims who were killed in the helicopter crash on January 26th.
