Remembering Kobe Bryant

On Jan. 26, 2020, NBA legend Kobe Bryant tragically passed away at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash while on his way to a youth basketball tournament with his 13-year-old daughter Gigi and seven others. Exactly two years later, Bryant’s death still heavily affects those who knew him best and the fans who adored him. 

And if you’re not aware of who Kobe Bryant is, Bryant spent 20 years playing basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers and in that time. He achieved many things such as being a 5-time NBA champion, an 18-time All-Star, being enshrined into the NBA Hall-of-Fame, and he had many more accomplishments. Bryant was loved for his tough tendency, determination, the crazy ability to be able to score the ball and how he established the term “Mamba Mentality.”

Essentially what ‘Mamba Mentality’ is, it means to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself…It’s a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday.

And a great example of how Bryant demonstrated this was when he played a game against the Golden State Warriors. He went up for a layup and got fouled but when he went back down he landed wrong and tore his achilles, which is considered to be one of the worst and most painful injuries to go through as a basketball player. Bryant, of course, instead of walking off the court and sitting the game out, stood up and walked to the free-throw line as if nothing happened and made both shots. He of course had to sit the rest of the game, but this moment really shined on how tough Kobe was and why fans in the basketball world adored him very dearly.

Bryant not only just touched fans around the world, but has also affected the basketball players at Delta High School. Senior Diego Gutierrez, who plays varsity basketball for Delta speaks about how he applies ‘Mamba Mentality” to the way he plays and thinks. “Mamba Mentality isn’t just a mentality..is having the mindset /strive to put the team on your back to finish the game…and [Mamba Mentality] is something that every basketball player should strive for,” Gutierrez said.

Freshman Brianna Huff, who plays on the junior varsity girls team also speaks about how Bryant’s death and how it has affected her. “I think Kobe’s death was really sad and he left a great legacy behind.”

Even though Bryant simply played the game of basketball, Bryant was just more than a basketball player, he was a great father to 4 daughters and he was a role model to the basketball community. Even though Bryant died two years ago, he is still considered to be one of the greatest to step on the court and will definitely have a long-lasting legacy and affect on the generations to come.