In 17 years, anything can happen: babies become adults, governments change, people die. And there is also one legendary basketball player, one of the best who ever was, that hurt a woman and became a staunch supporter of women's sports in general, and his 13-year-old daughter in particular, a gifted basketball player in her own right.

Kobe Bryant apparently forced himself into a hotel maid in Colorado. He did not claim that the relationship was consensual, but at the same time paid her millions of dollars in silence. He used his power and status to avoid a legal process that could have ruined his career. The tremendous apparatus behind him, the basketball team, the NBA League, have all enlisted to assist. Bryant was worth a lot of money to them.

It was a one-off event, after which Bryant's name was never linked to sexual violence. In the 17 years that followed, Bryant became the leader of a fight for women's sports. He took advantage of his status, relationships and finances to promote a feminist move, a move that many and good people had never shared or considered as a destination. His daughter, Gigi, became a basketball player herself in a group of girls he personally coached. You can call it a brilliant PR move, but you can also see it as a correction.

Yes, you can be a bad person and fix your ways. Learn a lesson, and get better. Humans are complex beings, they are not black and white. And smart people - and Bryant was brilliant - have a constant dialogue between right and wrong, desire and reason, ego and humility.
And at the same time you can love and admire people whose stain sticks to their past. To look at their work and admire it and to separate the creator from the creator, the actor and the person. And respect the way one does from one person to another.

Bryant was a basketball legend. That means he has inspired millions of people around the world. Children admired this man who was capable of scoring dozens of points and leading his team to the championship and constantly striving forward, for more and more achievements. There was nothing ordinary about him in this man. "Normal" people do not push themselves and others to the limit. To admire him does not mean to support rape, it simply means to admire what this man did on the hardwood and the impact of this act on the world.
There are no perfect human beings. Become an icon thanks to one thing that makes you amazing and wonderful and excellent, and not because of all your features. And sometimes we find that the symbol is imperfect. Ester the queen? She is just Esti.

Bryant was a huge star, and perhaps the most important message he left behind was that money and status didn't buy seven souls. It is only achievements that give you eternal life.