January 26, 2020, the basketball planet went into shock.
The whole planet in fact.
Along with his daughter Gianna and seven other people, Kobe Bryant disappeared in a helicopter crash after the aircraft ran aground on Calabasas Hill, near Los Angeles.
Young retiree of 41 years, the "Black Mamba" swarmed with projects, desires.
No one could believe it.
Like his former Lakers teammate Pau Gasol, many have taken “weeks, months” before admitting the sad reality.
“You thought Kobe could have gotten out of this accident on his feet and taken his daughter - and if there were any other survivors - with him to the hospital.
We had this image of him, so strong, as invincible.
If anyone could have survived it, it was him, ”explains the Spanish international, NBA champion in 2009 and 2010 with Kobe Bryant.
Which Pau Gasol remained close to Vanessa and her three daughters after the tragedy.
"It's the closest thing to a big brother I've had in my life," he says of Kobe, who named his daughter Elisabet Gianna in tribute to Gianna Bryant, whom he says she could have "changed women's basketball."
No homage from the Lakers
In the meantime, it was his late dad who changed the game. His legacy is still alive in the NBA and the basketball community in general.
Even beyond!
“He changed the game for the next generation.
His will to win was second to none.
His commitment to his profession was unmatched, ”said Cleveland coach JB Bickerstaff.
“I did not know that he had impacted the lives of so many people outside of basketball and around the world, is surprised as for him the interior of the Lakers, Anthony Davis, that Kobe had taken under his wing.
And that's why so many people felt the pain the basketball community felt last year, and still today. ”
A sentence whose demonstration is necessarily reduced by the coronavirus, depriving the many fans of Kobe Bryant of rallying as was the case last year.
Legends are forever.
pic.twitter.com/H1r2owgLrT
- Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 25, 2021
The many messages on social networks, the murals here and there or marks of respect for the players, however, remind us of how much Kobe Bryant marked his time, his time, a whole generation.
Last night, Kyrie Irving, one of his many followers, showed up to his team's Brooklyn game wearing the Lakers tunic.
Which Lakers have not planned a tribute.
Not that the memory of Kobe is no longer present in hearts and minds.
It is quite the reverse.
Too hard, too cool.
After their game in Cleveland last night (115-108 victory, 46 points for LeBron James), they have nothing on the menu this Tuesday.
In transit, they will face the 76ers Wednesday, in Philadelphia, the hometown of ... Kobe.
In between, the players will be able to honor the memory of their predecessor "as they see fit", as their coach Frank Vogel explained.
“It's not like his birthday, for example, it's more of a dark day,” he added.
"There are many things that die in this world, but legends never die"
LeBron James
Last year, the Californian club had postponed its match against the Clippers on January 28, only to return to the courts on the 31st. Impossible to replay before that ... They had played the rest of the season, until 'title in the Orlando bubble, with a patch in tribute to Kobe and Gianna on their jersey.
He's gone for the 2020-21 fiscal year, but players continue to say “1-2-3 Mamba” at the end of each time-out, before each game.
“It was our way of honoring Kobe last year.
I spoke to my team about it to see if we wanted to keep this this year.
I don't know if we will do this forever, but we feel his presence in this period because of what has happened, and for the moment we will continue and we will see what the future holds ”, indicates coach Vogel.
“There are a lot of things that die in this world, but legends never die,” the Los Angeles star LeBron James said.
A legend that is therefore present among the players, but also among several coaches, who try to perpetuate the "Mamba mentality" and his way of thinking about basketball, like his former teammates Derek Fisher (LA Sparks, WNBA), Luke Walton ( Sacramento) and Tyronn Lue (LA Clippers).
“Kawhi (Leonard) and PG (Paul George) always want to know how Kobe was, what he did, how he worked, how Kobe would react to that,” Lue said.
They ask these questions all the time.
They just want to know a lot about him.
It's hard to talk about it sometimes, but it's good that these guys respect him and admire what he's done as a player, as a person and as a businessman. ”
The Hall of Fame next May
Courage, hunger to win, high standards, work ethic, confidence: so many qualities that Kobe Bryant adopted throughout his career, from 1996 to 2016, with five NBA titles at stake.
A journey that will take him to the Hall of Fame, with the introductory ceremony scheduled for May.
A new opportunity to remember the great Kobe Bryant.
“For me it's hard because I don't necessarily think he's gone.
I just have the impression that we have not spoken for a while, ”plague Chris Paul, who could have joined him at the Lakers in 2011, if the NBA and David Stern had not canceled his trade.
“You could see his hardness, his courage, his desire, his hunger, the Mamba mentality - being the best all the time, working harder than anyone.
But he also had a very kind, very loving side, ”explains Pau Gasol.
And the pillar of La Roja adds: "He was someone I will miss for the rest of my life, but he will be present in everything I do."
He is not the only one…
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