Kobe Bryant – Rest in Peace

Today is Saturday, May 15, 2021, and it’s much like any other Saturday in May.  This morning I enjoyed a walk with my daughter, the freshening breeze against our cheeks.  At the midpoint we stopped to admire the panoramic San Fernando Valley below.

Today is much like any other Saturday in May.  Except…

Except that today Michael Jordan will step behind a podium and introduce Kobe’s widow, Vanessa, to posthumously induct Kobe Bryant into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.  Kobe’s daughter, Natalia Bryant, will wear her late father’s Hall of Fame jacket.  I expect she will have tears beneath her smile.

Kobe was one of the best, and one of the best known, to ever play professional basketball.  He spent his entire career as a Los Angeles Laker, and was the first guard in history to play for 20 seasons.  Daveen and I attended many of his games, though, sadly, we were absent from his 81-point effort against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.  In both the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics he won a gold medal as a member of the U.S. national team.

I was, and I am, impressed by Kobe’s legacy as an elite athlete.  But I am far more impressed by Kobe as a human being.  He said he wanted more out of his life than just a successful basketball career.  And he achieved that goal.

Kobe and his wife Vanessa founded a family foundation.  Its mission was “helping young people in need, encouraging the development of physical and social skills through sports and assisting the homeless.” During his life he granted more than two hundred requests for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  At the time of his death he was working on a children’s book to inspire underprivileged children.

After his retirement Kobe won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the film Dear Basketball.

Kobe and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California at 9:06 am Pacific Standard Time on January 26, 2020.  The day was much like any other day in January.  Except…

Kobe, I never met you.  But, like many others, I feel I know you.  And I will admire you, always.

Rest in peace, Kobe.

Rest in peace.

Alan