Photo courtesy of unsplash.com
Jan. 26, 2020, the NBA lost a well-renowned player. This left a major impact on the world of sports.
That basketball player was Kobe Bryant. He was in a helicopter with his daughter and seven other people on the way to his daughter’s basketball game in Thousand Oaks, California when the helicopter crashed near Calabassas.
The crash not only killed him but his daughter and the seven other passengers as well.
Bryant left behind a major legacy. Nicknamed the “Black Mamba,” his name was known from the East Coast to the West Coast. He was an active player on the Los Angeles Lakers, where he played the majority of his games.
He was very highly respected as a basketball player, a father, a husband and a friend to many.
Some of the games he played weren’t for the Lakers; he also played in several all-star games.
The all-star games are held each February, and they select 24 of the NBA’s best players and divide them into two teams. Then, those two teams play against each other.
Bryant played in several all-star games and had a very high point average in those games as well. He also competed in the Olympics in 2008 and won a gold medal for his basketball skills.
His legacy doesn’t just pertain to the NBA; some of the students at Elizabethtown College recognized that he left a major legacy.
“The loss of Kobe Bryant will change basketball entirely. Basketball will never be the same again without him,” first-year Rachel McCarthy said.
The tragic accident surprised not only the NBA but some of the students as well. The world of sports and basketball fans at Etown were completely devasted.
One student was heartbroken about the helicopter crash was first-year Joseph Filler.
“I was completely devastated with the death of Kobe Bryant as he was a player that I respected. It was just a total heartbreak that he died in such a tragic accident. His legacy will go on forever,” Filler said in response to the tragedy.
It’s true that the NBA is going to change without Bryant. Basketball won’t be the same without him. He started playing basketball in 1996 and was still involved until his death. In that time, he played an impressive number of games, and left an impact on many.
