Kobe

He only needs 1 name.

You know who he is.

Iconic.

Inspiring.

Legend.

Leader.

Most importantly, husband, father, son, and friend to many.

Truth be told, I couldn’t stand Kobe for a long time. I thought he was cocky and immature. Straight out of high school in Philly, he was 17 years old when he entered the NBA draft. Unthinkable at the time. Jerry West and Lakers management saw his potential during a workout and made a trade for him after he was drafted 13th overall by Charlotte. He would go on to play 20 seasons for LA. Loyalty to one team, city, and people. Admirable.

After his 3 championships in the early 2000’s, people began making comparisons to MJ (Michael Jordan). He rivaled my Detroit Pistons early in his career. In 2004 the Pistons took he, Shaq and the Lakers down in a lopsided series for the title. I think that championship felt even better knowing it was against LA. Individually, Kobe and Shaq were better than any of the Pistons, but a well assembled team that played incredible defense prevailed. This was an exception. Kobe won 5 titles. Five. Three with Shaq and 2 without him just to prove to everyone he didn’t need one of the best Centers in the game to win it all. Legendary.

Kobe is one of the few basketball players I’ve ever seen that has the drive to be better than anyone. He called it mamba mentality. Call it what you want, few have it. MJ did. He was the Kobe of my generation. You watched in awe at the things they did on the court. They were tactical. They studied their opponents, their movements, shots, instincts, responses to everything. Playing through sickness and injuries for the love of the game. One example, after being fouled and tearing his achilles, Kobe took the 2 free throws and made them before exiting the game. Incredible. Some thought he’d never attain greatness again, but he proved the naysayers wrong. Mamba mentality took over and he returned to dominate in the NBA for many more years, even to the tune of 60 points in his last game. He was someone that always strived to learn more, improve as a player, and a become a better person. Driven.

In 2009, I was in Colorado helping some friends with a project. They asked what I wanted to do during my visit. I knew the Lakers were in Denver for the western conference finals, so I laughingly threw out the idea of going to the game. “Too easy”, my friend Ryan noted. “We have friends with a club level suite we could join.” I was treated like royalty that night. Admittedly, I was pulling for the Nuggets, whose roster included former Pistons champion, Chauncy “big shot” Billups, but the thought of seeing Kobe was just as enticing. Kobe scored 41 almost effortlessly. The Lakers would win the game and go on to win the title that year, Kobe’s 4th. Greatness.

Kobe was global. He grew up in Italy, spoke multiple languages, and gained respect of many international fans. As the NBA brand grew world-wide, Kobe helped spur on what is now an international opportunity for basketball players. Only a month ago he sat courtside at an LA/Dallas game with his daughter Gigi taking in a game with the new Slovenian phenom, Luka Doncić. As Luka was standing in front of him for an inbounds play, Kobe muttered some trash talk in Slovenian. Surprised to hear words in his native tongue with no accent, Luka turned to see Kobe with a big smile on his face. It meant the world to Luka. After the game, he was kind enough to take a moment with Kobe, even snapping a photo with Gigi, one of his fans. Iconic.

Why have I felt sick to my stomach since seeing the news of Kobe’s passing? I’ve shed tears, many times over, like he was one of my family members. It’s beyond basketball, for sure. The 9 people perished aboard the chopper this past Sunday made us all feel sick. The stories unfolding still, but Kobe and others aboard were adults investing their energy, time, and goodwill into teaching and mentoring young women the ins and outs of basketball. A lot of these things transferable and applicable to life outside of sport. Beautiful.

In the 4 years since he quit playing the game professionally, Kobe dedicated more time to love his wife and 4 daughters. Additionally, he won an academy award for a short film (dear basketball), helped with podcasts for children and continued investing in others through the Mamba academy. We’ll never know how many things he would’ve likely achieved given more time, but I think it’s fair to say he inspired millions, including me.

I have watched ESPN a lot since the accident and can’t get enough of the highlights, interviews and people Kobe’s inspired. In my lifetime, I don’t think there has been a death in sports as impacting as this one. Last night I was anticipating Jimmy Kimmel and what he might do/say as a tribute. I wasn’t disappointed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk00epALZps

Attached below are a couple of moments I snapped from the ’09 Lakers game in Denver as well as a few iconic images taken by other photographers.

Luka Doncić and Gigi Bryant. photo: Getty Images