The world loses Basketball Legend, Kobe Bryant at 41
The retired N.B.A. star, 41, and his daughter Gianna were among nine people in a helicopter that crashed near Calabasas, Calif. A college baseball coach and his wife and daughter were also killed.
Authorities in Los Angeles County said it could take several days to recover bodies from the crash site, as the helicopter crashed in rough terrain.
NBA legend Kobe Bryant saw not one but two of his Los Angeles Lakers’ jerseys rise to the rafters in Staples Center on Dec. 18 in a ceremony that had fans and the greater NBA family celebrating Bryant and his outstanding accomplishments.
While wearing Lakers jerseys No. 8 and No. 24, he won a total of five championships and outscored 80 Hall-of-Famers twice over during an unparalleled 20 years in the league. “You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream,” Bryant wrote on Twitter upon seeing his jerseys immortalized alongside other Laker greats who once inspired him as a little boy playing basketball in Italy.
But like any great champion, he wanted his career to mean more. In a pre-game press conference on Dec. 18, Bryant spoke about the meaning of jersey retirement for today’s young players: “That’s the true mark of a legacy … how it affects the next generation.” Here are five ways Bryant’s already making an impact on the next generation of athletes’ pursuit of greatness.
- He inspired James Harden, Steph Curry, and other NBA greats to play.
- He showed us that hard work is what makes champions.
- He believed in the value of family
- He took sports to kids around the world.
- He believed sport can be used to strengthen youth mentally and emotionally.
Unfortunately the world lost this legend in his prime
Culled from Nytimes and good.is
