Monday on NBALord.com is typically dubbed "Mock Draft Monday," taking a look at the NBA's up and coming talents and prospects. Today I thought I would dub my Monday article "Mamba Monday" to honor the life and legacy of Kobe Bryant, who tragically passed in a helicopter crash yesterday along with his daughter Gianna. I should also add that this helicopter crash killed nine people in total, so by no means do I want to make it sound like Kobe or Gianna's life had any more meaning or value. Every life is precious and holds the same value. I believe that as a believer in God and follower of Jesus Christ. As such, I want to say that times like this make me grateful for the faith and knowledge that all of us will be resurrected and will one day see our loved ones again.
Still, that doesn't soften the initial pain of losing people close to us or people who we admire. Kobe Bryant influenced millions of people through the game of basketball and his death is a tremendous blow to the basketball community. Those that are grieving or still in shock have every right to be. It's important to go through the four stages of grief or whatever process you need to go through.
Speaking for myself personally, my initial reaction to the death of Kobe Bryant was that of shock and disbelief. I found out about his death while at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, covering the Cal men's and women's basketball Sunday doubleheader. It was weird to be at a basketball arena covering the game that he had such a profound influence on while simultaneously processing the fact that he was in fact gone. It was weird. I didn't feel like covering basketball.
What also added to the weirdness of it was conflicting reports about what was going on. There were some false rumors that all of Kobe's kids were on board, that Rick Fox was on board, etc. It was weird trying to process that information and hearing conflicting things. Especially when you're also trying to cover a basketball game that's happening in real time in front of you.
But, with the dust having now settled, all I can say is that I am really sad we lost Kobe, his daughter, and everyone else that died in that crash. Nobody should have to go out like that and yet that's life. Sometimes shit happens and we have to figure out how to deal with it.
On my Saturday Slam piece, I will take a look back on Kobe's legacy and what he meant to basketball, but for now I wanted to share my condolences and what my initial reactions and thoughts were at the time that this was happening. It was a weird day and one that I along with every other person in the basketball world: Fans, coaches, players, and media alike, will never forget.
Note: I did get instant reactions from Cal players and coaches about the death of Kobe Bryant. Click here to check that out on GoldenBearReport.com.
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