By Joshua Tenzer
“Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother #33644” That was the last tweet sent out by Kobe Bryant 15 hours and 45 seconds before TMZ first reported about his untimely demise in a helicopter crash. That tweet was congratulating LeBron James for surpassing Kobe on the all time point total list, bumping the retired NBA player down to 4th all time. He wasn’t upset or salty about the success of others, he was classy and proud of LeBron’s success on the court.
Kobe Bryant in his first year and last year in the NBA
TMZ was the first major news outlet to break the news of Kobe Bryant’s passing. When I first saw it, I was in shock. TMZ is a glorified gossip magazine with a television show, they could be wrong. Then Yahoo News released a statement, then Bleacher Report, ESPN, ABC. It was real. I sat there for a long time in silence. I wasn’t alone in that. The hall of my dorm exploded into shouts of disbelief and confusion. Hockey writer Steve Dangle tweeted “At an airport restaurant in Charlotte and the whole place went quiet when ABC and ESPN broke to the news.” The world seemed to stand still and no one really had words.
Kobe Bryant transcended his sport. He was accomplished both on and off the court. He is the only person to win an NBA championship and an Oscar. Not only did he win an NBA championship, but he won 5, was MVP for two of them, has the second most three-pointers made by a player in one game, 2nd most points by a player in a game, the only player to have two numbers retired by the same organization, two Olympic gold medals, and a 17 time all-star. In a rapidly shifting offensive game, Kobe played all around the court. He led his team in scoring for twelve of his 20 years and made 12 all defensive team selections.
Kobe Bryant transcended his sport. He was accomplished both on and off the court. He is the only person to win an NBA championship and an Oscar. Not only did he win an NBA championship, but he won 5, was MVP for two of them, has the second most three-pointers made by a player in one game, 2nd most points by a player in a game, the only player to have two numbers retired by the same organization, two Olympic gold medals, and a 17 time all-star. In a rapidly shifting offensive game, Kobe played all around the court. He led his team in scoring for twelve of his 20 years and made 12 all defensive team selections.
Kobe Bryant and his 5 NBA Championship Trophies
Besides the five championship wins, most people’s first thought at the mention of Kobe’s name is his 81 point game against the Raptors on January 22nd 2006. He played almost 42 minutes and his 81 points came in the form of 28 field goals going in out of 46 attempts. He was 7 for 13 from beyond the arc and collected 18 points from the free throw line. If he kept that pace for the other six minutes that he was benched he would have ended the game with 93 points. An average game for Kobe that season was impressive: 35.4 points per game, he played significantly better on that day to say the least. The rest of the Lakers team attempted 4 less field goals than Kobe and made less field goals than Kobe made free throws.
Kobe on January 22nd 2006 vs. the Toronto Raptors. He put up 81 points that night
On December 13th 2019, just weeks before his death, Kobe Bryant was seen helping to comfort victims of a car crash before first responders arrived on the scene. He owns the Mamba Sports Academy, a space for youth athletes to train their skills in a multitude of sports. He spent his time after the NBA being a family man and helping others. Just like when LeBron passed him on the scoring list, he lived his life with class and should be remembered as such.
Photo Credits:
The Philadelphia Tribune
NBA
The Wrap
Photo Credits:
The Philadelphia Tribune
NBA
The Wrap
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