In late December, a video began to circulate on social media of retired Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Kobe Bryant with his daughter Gianna at a basketball game. Kobe appeared to be explaining an intricacy of the game to the 13-year-old, as they both shared a passion for it.

The clip was, of course, “meme’d” into oblivion, but it was intimate and endearing. Kobe loved basketball, but post-retirement, it looked like
he loved being a father even more. 

Less than a month later, that moment now takes on a heartbreaking quality. Bryant, 41, and Gianna were among nine people tragically killed in a helicopter crash Sunday morning.

The sports world will never be the same.

Bryant defined a generation of athletes. He became an icon larger than the sport of basketball. 

There was no in-between with him. Fans either loved him or loved to hate him. 

As a kid, I fell into the latter half. Growing up in Southern California in the early 2000s, Kobe was everywhere.

Going to the mall on a July afternoon? Kobe jerseys all over. 

All of my friends had his posters on their bedroom walls. 

A piece of trash couldn’t be disposed of without someone first yelling, “Kobe!”

I couldn’t stand him. Everybody was a Laker fan, and he was THE Laker. It was always Kobe, Kobe, Kobe. You couldn’t escape it.

But of course, there was a good reason for that. On the court, Kobe was a cold-blooded assassin. Any argument you had against him, he’d chop it into pieces with his game.

A Kobe hater would say “Kobe isn’t efficient.” Watch out, after a rocky start to his career, ESPN lists his career shooting percentage just a shade under 50 percent.

Or “Kobe is a ball hog.” Well, it also says that his fifth season he averaged five assists per game.

Or “Kobe can’t win without Shaq.” Nevermind, he won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 with Pau Gasol as his sidekick. 

He was easy to root against, but he always commanded respect. The man just wanted to be one of the greats of his craft, and that he was. 

But there’s more to it than the rings, the stats, the “mamba mentality.” Kobe was an ambassador for the game he loved so dearly.

Whichever team-affiliation you have in the NBA, there is a certain level of respect you have to give the man if you enjoy basketball. He arguably grew the game more than anyone on this planet that isn’t named Michael Jordan.

In 2016-17, his final season, Kobe’s jersey sold more than any other player’s in China. Even an aging great was popular just on the basis of his own name recognition. Like other legends in the sport, all it takes is his first name to know who you’re talking about. Magic, Shaq, LeBron, Steph, Kobe.

After his playing days had ended, fans speculated he might join the NBA’s coaching ranks, as sports fans do with most departing legends.

He put a stop to that thinking immediately. He had other things in mind.

In 2018, he won an Oscar for best short animated film with his tear-jerker, “Dear Basketball.” He also coached Gianna’s basketball team and began to promote women’s basketball.

But that’s just how he lived his life. He expected nothing but excellence from himself and those around him.

Kobe Bryant was more than a basketball player. He’s an icon. The purple and gold No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys will never go out of style. Kids will continue to shout his name
while shooting a jumper.

In 1997, far
prior to his greatness reaching its peak, he gave a quote that stuck with me.

“I don’t want to be the next Michael Jordan, I only want to be
Kobe Bryant.”

So did the millions you inspired.

Thank you, Kobe.