RIP Kobe Bryant

fuzzygobo

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 11, 2004
Messages
5,596
Reaction score
5,072
Once when I worked at Penney’s, we had a section of the store that sold sneakers, sports jerseys, posters, footballs. If we were really fortunate, a player from one of the local New York teams would show up. Lawrence Taylor was a big draw. He’d sign autographs and pose for selfies, and we’d have a line out the door.
Well, we happened to get this rookie named Kobe Bryant. He was in town because they were playing the Nets the next day. There were lines out the door again, and all our Laker jerseys sold out. It was only his rookie season, but nobody could have known what an amazing career lay ahead of him. One of the all time greats. Nice guy too.
 

cjd874

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
Messages
2,160
Reaction score
2,346
It's been almost two days now, and I'm still in shock. Kobe Bryant was 41 years old...he still had more life and work left in him. But his legacy lives on, not just for his incredible NBA career but also his work outside of the NBA (including an Oscar for the short film Dear Basketball).

When I was young, I read Sport Illustrated for Kids...and I loved it whenever there was a feature story about Kobe, or a poster of him dunking on somebody. Kobe was somebody that I always looked up to for his fierce motivation to succeed, and his ability to unite an entire country through the sport he loved.

His family and friends are in my prayers. I can't believe that three people whose work I've followed my whole life---Caroll Spinney, Neil Peart, and Kobe Bryant---have all passed away in the span of less than two months. Life is short. Make the most of it while you can.
 

MikaelaMuppet

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2013
Messages
11,015
Reaction score
3,105
It's been almost two days now, and I'm still in shock. Kobe Bryant was 41 years old...he still had more life and work left in him. But his legacy lives on, not just for his incredible NBA career but also his work outside of the NBA (including an Oscar for the short film Dear Basketball).

When I was young, I read Sport Illustrated for Kids...and I loved it whenever there was a feature story about Kobe, or a poster of him dunking on somebody. Kobe was somebody that I always looked up to for his fierce motivation to succeed, and his ability to unite an entire country through the sport he loved.

His family and friends are in my prayers. I can't believe that three people whose work I've followed my whole life---Caroll Spinney, Neil Peart, and Kobe Bryant---have all passed away in the span of less than two months. Life is short. Make the most of it while you can.
I'm still in shock as well.
 

fuzzygobo

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 11, 2004
Messages
5,596
Reaction score
5,072
It's been almost two days now, and I'm still in shock. Kobe Bryant was 41 years old...he still had more life and work left in him. But his legacy lives on, not just for his incredible NBA career but also his work outside of the NBA (including an Oscar for the short film Dear Basketball).

When I was young, I read Sport Illustrated for Kids...and I loved it whenever there was a feature story about Kobe, or a poster of him dunking on somebody. Kobe was somebody that I always looked up to for his fierce motivation to succeed, and his ability to unite an entire country through the sport he loved.

His family and friends are in my prayers. I can't believe that three people whose work I've followed my whole life---Caroll Spinney, Neil Peart, and Kobe Bryant---have all passed away in the span of less than two months. Life is short. Make the most of it while you can.
I know it’s still a shock. There have been others that died in helicopter crashes- Thurmon Munson (won three World Series with the Yankees back in the 70s), Bill Graham (concert promoter who managed the Jefferson Airplane, Santana, helped organize Woodstock, and revolutionized the concert business), Stevie Ray Vaughn (one of the best blues guitarists ever).

The trouble is they were all freak accidents. All of them have flown on copters and planes as part of their careers. It’s tragic, and what probably frustrates a lot of people is there’s no one to blame. It just happened. But that’s cold comfort to family and fans.

The one thing I hope that doesn’t come out of this, is Snowthy saying, “What a crappy year this is already. January isn’t over yet and casualties are piling up!”
2012 had its share of deaths too. But you can’t measure a year by how many people pass away.

We will all pass away sometime (me being probably the oldest on here, most likely I’ll go first).

The harsh reality is, even when someone we love or admire dies, we have to keep living. It’s tough, but there’s no way around it.

I can be grateful I met Kobe before he became a household name, and he was a positive role model on all counts. Unlike someone like Dennis Rodman, who while equally talented, his personal life was a disaster.
 
Top