Reflecting on the life of Kobe Bryant

As a long-time basketball fan, I’ll try to put Kobe Bryant in perspective. He grew up in Ardmore, PA, the son of an NBA player, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant. At 15 he was playing pickup ball against NBA players. At 17 he was drafted by the Lakers, still not old enough to drive. He was the “next Michael Jordan” and even passed Jordan for 3rd place on the all-time scoring list. He inspired the current generation of players. LeBron James took the torch from Kobe and actually passed him on the scoring list 12 hours before he died. I was watching the game because LeBron’s Lakers (Kobe’s old team) were playing the 76ers (in Kobe’s old neighborhood). LeBron received a standing ovation from the Philly fans (normally a tough crowd) and Kobe immediately tweeted out his congratulations.

I asked my dad if he could think of any other great athletes who died at a young age. He mentioned Lou Gehrig. For me, Roberto Clemente was the first to come to mind. 2020 is the first year Kobe is eligible for the Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place this summer. He played 20 years in the NBA, made the All Star team 18 times and won 5 championships.

Kobe Bryant was a lifelong learner and already well into his second act, starting a venture capital firm, writing a book, and winning an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. He spoke three languages including fluent Italian and was an international icon who befriended and helped top athletes in tennis and soccer, including Novak Djokovic.

It’s this second act that makes Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s deaths all the more tragic.

~ Kevin Duffy