Kobe Dies???

Nine people killed. Nine.

Two of them young kids; basketball teammates, who died along with their dads. And one dad, as we know, was Kobe Bryant.

An accident that takes nine lives, two of them so young, might make the national news. This tragic crash makes global news. Bryant was that widely known and respected. One of the all-time NBA greats, and someone so successful in so many ways that he even won an Oscar for his part in a film production.

Here, Kobe Bryant was a critical part of a favorite rivalry. I think, for today, its OK if we're all just a little Purple and Gold.

It has been a very sad time since hearing about Kobe's tragic passing.
I am saddened for the loss that the Bryant family and all of the other families who lost loved ones in the crash are going through.
I feel sad for my son who is 24 years old.
The Lakers and Kobe have been a big part of who he is.
He has been a Lakers and Kobe fan since he was 3 years old.
When we moved to Warwick RI in 2000 we had a basketball hoop by our mailbox in the cul-de-sac that we lived on.
Over the next 5 years my son would shoot baskets for hour after hour after hour after hour while wearing his Kobe 8 gold jersey.
Then he grew out of that jersey and he would wear a purple 8 Lakers jersey.
He must have shot tens of thousands of shots wearing those two jerseys.
Since my son is pretty quiet the connection we have had with the Lakers and Kobe have kept us close.
We could talk for hours about the Lakers and Kobe but if I talked to him about school or a job, those conversations are short.
My son owns/runs a successful twitter/Instagram account called Lakers Pulse.
Much of the content over the years has been about Kobe.

I am proud of the man/husband/dad that Kobe became.
He received so much joy and fulfillment from coaching his daughter's team.

The Lakers will always be a part of who I am.
I am more than a life long fan.
I will miss Kobe.
I wish we could have seen what he accomplished with the 2nd half of his life.
I feel it would have been amazing.

RIP Kobe!

Brilliant post, TJ. Thank you for sharing that. Kobe definitely left it all on the court. No regrets for him or for us as fans. We Celtics fans had to learn the hard way to respect his play and his game. He was truly one of a kind and will be for quite some time.

db

Sometimes, in times of sadness, it is easier to put into writing how you feel than talk. TJ there is no doubt, you love the Lakers, and to love the them, you had to love Kobe. This is obvious. If you feel robbed, you have the right to feel that way. Kobe was just beginning touch the surface of what would become his second life.  To have it tragically taken away is so unfair, and the loss of his beautiful daughter makes it worse. I think about his Wife, as a Wife and a Mother, I cannot fathom what she is going through right now. Gone in a minute, sad, so very sad.

I have to mention to you that three years ago this month my 96 year old Mom passes away. She absolutely loved the Celtics.  When I got up to eulogize her at her funeral, one of the things I mentioned was her love of the Green, yet....her most favorite player ever? Jerry West. Almost everyone in the church knew how devoted a fan I am of the Celtics and the entire church broke out in laughter.

Hold on to those great memories you and your son have of Kobe. There will be times when you are alone that something will pop into your thoughts and he will be there and you can smile. Such a sad sad time for any real basketball fan.

My best
Rosalie

RosalieTCeltics wrote:Sometimes, in times of sadness, it is easier to put into writing how you feel than talk. TJ there is no doubt, you love the Lakers, and to love the them, you had to love Kobe. This is obvious. If you feel robbed, you have the right to feel that way. Kobe was just beginning touch the surface of what would become his second life.  To have it tragically taken away is so unfair, and the loss of his beautiful daughter makes it worse. I think about his Wife, as a Wife and a Mother, I cannot fathom what she is going through right now. Gone in a minute, sad, so very sad.

I have to mention to you that three years ago this month my 96 year old Mom passes away. She absolutely loved the Celtics.  When I got up to eulogize her at her funeral, one of the things I mentioned was her love of the Green, yet....her most favorite player ever? Jerry West. Almost everyone in the church knew how devoted a fan I am of the Celtics and the entire church broke out in laughter.

Hold on to those great memories you and your son have of Kobe. There will be times when you are alone that something will pop into your thoughts and he will be there and you can smile.  Such a sad sad time for any real basketball fan.  

My best
Rosalie

Thanks for the comments Rosalie.
Great story about your mom and Jerry West.
Yes, it's been a sad time for all basketball fans.

I actually loved Jerry West too, loved the way he was a dead eye shooter, bam bam, before you knew it, he’d have 30 or 40. Wilt was also so great to watch back in the day....

jaytatum0

Heart broken. My Hero. My Idol. The reason I started to play this game, the reason I fell in love with this game. Growing up wanting to be just like you, to you becoming a mentor, beyond thankful for everything you've done for me. "I didn't have a plan B I put all my eggs in one basket and I knew I was going to make it happen" hearing you say that stuck with me everyday of my life. You inspired me and I am forever grateful more than you know! Love you Bean ! Sad, sad, sad day RIP Kobe and Gianna! Praying for the family!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7zEzS-gWX1/?utm_source=ig_embed


bob
MY NOTE:  If there is any silver lining to this awful, awful tragedy it could be that young players like Jayson Tatum, who grew up wanting to play basketball because of Kobe, will dedicate themselves to the mission of developing Mamba Mentality.  It won't bring him back, but it will immortalize him in a way I know he would appreciate.

Great Instagram pic of Kobe with a VERY young Jayson Tatum in a Laker uniform. I wonder if it was a #8 or a #24...



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One thing is crystal clear.

Kobe Bryant had a profound influence on so many basketball players.  His untimely death at 41 seems more like a story from an alternative universe.  Yet the reality of his passing lives in our point in time.  

The LAL have and always will be our arch rivals.  Fan bases are never short on antagonism.  Yet there has always been a deep and abiding respect for the players that wore a different color.  A tragedy of this magnitude blurs the lines that separates Celtics fans from Lakers fans.  In the end we remain just fans.

bobheckler wrote:jaytatum0

Heart broken. My Hero. My Idol. The reason I started to play this game, the reason I fell in love with this game. Growing up wanting to be just like you, to you becoming a mentor, beyond thankful for everything you've done for me. "I didn't have a plan B I put all my eggs in one basket and I knew I was going to make it happen" hearing you say that stuck with me everyday of my life. You inspired me and I am forever grateful more than you know! Love you Bean ! Sad, sad, sad day RIP Kobe and Gianna! Praying for the family!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7zEzS-gWX1/?utm_source=ig_embed


bob
MY NOTE:  If there is any silver lining to this awful, awful tragedy it could be that young players like Jayson Tatum, who grew up wanting to play basketball because of Kobe, will dedicate themselves to the mission of developing Mamba Mentality.  It won't bring him back, but it will immortalize him in a way I know he would appreciate.

Great Instagram pic of Kobe with a VERY young Jayson Tatum in a Laker uniform.  I wonder if it was a #8 or a #24...


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Wow, what a great post by Jayson.
I loved the picture too.
I'm glad that Kobe had such a positive impact on one of the young stars in the league who will keep growing the game and being an example for other boys and girls as Kobe was.

tjmakz wrote:

bobheckler wrote:jaytatum0

Heart broken. My Hero. My Idol. The reason I started to play this game, the reason I fell in love with this game. Growing up wanting to be just like you, to you becoming a mentor, beyond thankful for everything you've done for me. "I didn't have a plan B I put all my eggs in one basket and I knew I was going to make it happen" hearing you say that stuck with me everyday of my life. You inspired me and I am forever grateful more than you know! Love you Bean ! Sad, sad, sad day RIP Kobe and Gianna! Praying for the family!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7zEzS-gWX1/?utm_source=ig_embed


bob
MY NOTE:  If there is any silver lining to this awful, awful tragedy it could be that young players like Jayson Tatum, who grew up wanting to play basketball because of Kobe, will dedicate themselves to the mission of developing Mamba Mentality.  It won't bring him back, but it will immortalize him in a way I know he would appreciate.

Great Instagram pic of Kobe with a VERY young Jayson Tatum in a Laker uniform.  I wonder if it was a #8 or a #24...


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Wow, what a great post by Jayson.
I loved the picture too.
I'm glad that Kobe had such a positive impact on one of the young stars in the league who will keep growing the game and being an example for other boys and girls as Kobe was.

Gents,
You may not have noticed but the Instagram post has six other pictures some with Jason and some Kobe and family; the last one of Kobe and his fam is beautiful.

https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2020/01/28/nba-boston-celtics-forward-jayson-tatum-lost-friend-kobe-bryant/

Many people who are successful in their profession, business, sports, music etc. who have accomplished their goals tend to fade away after retirement and enjoy the fruits of their labor so to speak. Some help family members and people who they are close too, others reach out to give back.

During his playing years I always thought he played with a chip on his shoulder, and apparently that is what it takes to rise above the rest. I never paid much attention to Kobe after he left the game but have been reading quite a bit in the last few days and he was one of those that gave back regardless of any previous relationship he had with them. I think once he accomplished his goals, he realized what was most important in life.

My hat is off to him and it is sad that he could not continue. A bit like an artist who's paintings are sought after passing.

I wish I paid more attention to him and his post career life.

Pete


Pete

https://clutchpoints.com/celtics-news-boston-pushes-back-feb-24-flight-allow-players-attend-kobe-bryant-memorial/




Celtics push back Feb. 24 flight to allow players to attend Kobe Bryant memorial



by Marty Fenn

February 12, 2020



The Boston Celtics will play the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center on Feb. 23, but it seems they will stick around for at least another day.

Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe reported the Celtics have pushed back their Feb. 24 flight so as to allow players and staff to attend Kobe Bryant’s memorial, which will be held that same day:


Adam Himmelsbach

@AdamHimmelsbach
New: The Celtics have pushed back their Feb. 24 flight from LA a bit to give players the chance to attend Kobe Bryant’s memorial.

“I’m sure there will be a lot of people there showing their support, and I’m glad I can be one of them,” Jayson Tatum said.https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/celtics/2020/02/12/celtics-shift-travel-plans-give-players-chance-attend-kobe-bryant-memorial/kwkBzJrm8y7TSkKRE1BelK/story.html …



Celtics shift travel plans, give players a chance to attend Kobe Bryant memorial - The Boston Globe
Bryant and his daughter will be honored Feb. 24 in Los Angeles, a day after the Celtics play the Lakers.

bostonglobe.com
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2:48 PM - Feb 12, 2020


The Celtics will pay their respects to both Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, both of whom were killed in a fatal helicopter accident that also killed seven others in late January. The date (2/24) was chosen as an ode to Gianna and Kobe, who wore the nos. 2 and 24, respectively.

This is a rather fitting show of respect from the organization. The Celtics and Lakers have been rivals for years, but some things are much bigger than basketball.

Some current Celtics players have ties to Bryant. Swingman Jayson Tatum has said numerous times over the years he has tried to apply the “Mamba Mentaility” to his own game, and he also took to Instagram following news of Bryant’s death (via Justin Leger of NBC Sports Boston):

Heart broken. My Hero. My Idol. The reason I started to play this game, the reason I fell in love with this game. Growing up wanting to be just like you, to you becoming a mentor, beyond thankful for everything you’ve done for me. … You inspired me and I am forever grateful more than you know! Love you Bean! Sad, sad, sad day RIP Kobe and Gianna! Praying for the family!

The Celtics and Lakers will do battle that Sunday, but they will put aside their differences to honor one of the greatest players in NBA history on Monday.


bob
MY NOTE: This is very nice and classy of the Celtics organization to make these changes.



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