What Kobe means to me & basketball fans everywhere

On Sunday morning the NBA lost a piece of its history.

Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna – often called Gigi – and 7 others (John, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah and Payton Chester, and Ara Zobayan), passed away in a helicopter crash. As a Laker fan and just a basketball fan in general, I am so upset to see my basketball idol pass away at only 41.

This is what he meant to me and to many other basketball fans out there.

Growing up, I’ve always been a Laker fan. I wasn’t alive for Kobe’s three-peat with Shaq, and I vaguely remember his last 2, being I was so young.  However, I did get to see him play once, the year before he retired.  But the amount of videos I’ve watched make me feel like I was there the whole time.

Kobe’s career and his game in general will never be replicated. His ability to score in any way – post ups, jumpers, slam dunks can never be matched. My generation and the generation’s to come will always admire his game and his ridiculous work ethic.

I remember watching his farewell game, where he dropped 60 on the Jazz.  I was hyped after every bucket.

But Kobe was more than an athlete. Ask any player who went against him, played with him, or trained with him, he would always reach out and help you. Since his retirement, Kobe had won an Oscar and was sharing his love of the game with his now deceased daughter, Gigi. Kobe leaves a legacy NBA fans will know 100 years from now. I will never forget or take for granted watching the Mamba play, we’ll never see someone like him again.

Rest easy Kobe, Mamba Forever.