There has been an out pour emotions both athletes and non-athletes alike for the former Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant — who passed away, along with his daughter, Gianna, on January 26th.
Someone like Kobe, who is almost larger than life, touched a lot lives as his peers and his fans both admired him as someone to aspire to.
Za’Darius Smith honored Kobo after a sack in the 3rd quarter:
https://www.facebook.com/WisconsinSports247/videos/670089150464974/
WR Davante Adams honored Kobe after his touchdown in the 3rd quarter:
https://www.facebook.com/WisconsinSports247/videos/490779745179781/
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Ultimately, the AFC topped the NFC with a final score of 33-38. The game was played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Adams had 6 receptions for 61 yards and two touchdowns. Smith had two tackles, two sacks, and an interception. Not surprisingly, Smith led the NFC team with the only two sacks in the game. Keep up with this and more nfl on sportingpedia.com
A guy wrote a comment about an experience Kobe had with his daughter. Kobe displayed a gesture of kindness to his daughter. Skipping the story, he had this to say.
” It’s the things people do when nobody is watching that show true character. He showed his.”
Yup. Good post.
So, first of all, prayers are with families involved with the deaths on that helicopter. Second, I have seen some interesting posts the past 24 hours in regards to Bryant’s death. I find it interesting that people are butthurt over the coverage, saying that military deaths aren’t covered nearly as much. No one out there is suggesting those deaths aren’t as important, I am pretty confident that everyone is thankful for those sacrifices for our freedoms, including celebrities. Celebrity deaths garner more attention because they are well known public figures. They are very impactful people, especially in US culture where entertainment is big. Whether it’s Kobe Bryant, Dale Earnhardt, Robin Williams, or Chris Farley, those people have had distinct impacts on a lot of lives and they all died too early. In the case of Bryant, he was just starting the second part of his life of being a better father, and trying to make a difference in women’s basketball and also pursuing other interests. He was an international celebrity, as the NBA is a very global sport. He was a hero to many people across the globe. If people want to say his legacy is complicated by the rape allegation, that’s fair. But don’t sit here and tell me that his passing isn’t worthy of coverage. Sorry for the long and rambling post
Yea…i heard the same stuff on the Fan. I guess people were complaining to the station they spent too much time talking about Bryant. I agree with the reasons you posted, that it’s a big story.
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Here’s what i think…..They don’t like it?….change the station. Since when does a select amount of people have the right and the gall, to dictate how much time can be allowed to discuss,talk, and celebrate someone’s life in passing?
I’ve had a little bit of a difficult time processing his death these past few days. More so than I expected, honestly. I spent most of his career rooting against him. Not because I hated him, but because I grew up watching Jordan and he was my childhood hero. When Kobe ascended to superstar status in the early 00’s and the comparisons to Jordan became commonplace, I wasn’t ready or willing to let him supplant my childhood hero in those conversations. So I rooted against him any chance I got no matter how good I knew he was inside. It was stupid really, because he was one of those special generational talents that only come so often. Someone so good at his craft that you shouldn’t take for granted. It was only after his achilles injury and subsequent comeback that I began to accept and root for him publicly alongside my friends who were life long fans. But by that point his career was in it’s twilight.
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However, his professional career is not what I’ve struggled with. It’s what he’s done in the secondary stage of his life, post-basketball, that’s affected me most. With his newfound passion for storytelling and his push to edify and inspire, I felt like this stage of his life had a chance to become exponentially more impactful that his actual career. The almost instant-like pivot to dedicate every moment of his time, love, and attention to his family, to his daughters, and to champion their cause is what really hits home for me. I don’t have kids, but the thought of him and his daughter in those fateful last moments just absolutely wrecks me. Every. Single. Time.