KOBE’S IMPACT AND HIS LEGACY WILL LIVE ON

Kobe Bryant left his mark on the game of basketball, a mark that reaches around the globe and into every country. 

To say that he was a basketball player, or even an Olympic athlete, is selling him short. He was a superhero for a whole generation that wanted to be as great as he was.

In his long and triumphant career, Kobe stayed with just one team: the Los Angeles Lakers. His dedication to the franchise and his winning mentality is a rare trait that most players try to imitate. If you weren’t a fan of his during his career, it’s most likely because he was always winning and beating the team you were rooting for.

But when he announced his retirement from basketball, that was the moment every sports fan collectively agreed that he was a rare breed and his that impact on the game transcends basketball. He was a once-in-a-generation athlete, and we may never see another cultural icon as great as him, Kobe Bryant whether it’s the player or the person. 

The most tragic fact of Kobe’s passing was that he was only in the beginning of his post-retirement career. He had just won an Oscar for an animated movie based on his love for basketball, and he started the Mamba Sports Academy that trains adults and children in sports and athletics – this is where Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, played, and where their helicopter was headed on Sunday. Kobe’s second career was being a family man and a mentor to his daughters, and to other NBA players and athletes across all different sports, all over the world.

Looking back on it, the entire world saw a teenager come out of high school and into the big leagues, then we saw him cement a place of greatness within the sport he loved, and then watched as he played until his body gave out. His No. 24 has been a symbol that all young athletes follow, or know. The number is a motivator to say that anyone can make it in the sports industry if they work hard enough; the road to his stardom was never easy.

We were supposed to see something similar with Gianna; Kobe was going to be her mentor and she was going to do great things of her own. She wanted to carry on his legacy in the WNBA (women’s professional league) and create one of her own, and he was enthusiastic about it.  

In sum, Kobe was one of America’s greatest celebrities and his influence has touched the hearts of many and he is the reason why we have some of the NBA players we do now. He started a movement for the young athletes, and he gave them hope for their futures. Even if you weren’t a sports fan, you knew who Kobe Bryant was – you have, at least, shouted “Kobe!” when trying to throw a scrap of paper into a trash can.

This is one of the biggest deaths America has gone through in a while. Death is one of the only things that are certain in life, as it does not discriminate, but Kobe’s seemed different. The Monday after his accident, the country took a collective moment of silence for the legend we lost that day.

He died at age 41, and his daughter, at age 13. And so the final message he had sent us was to live your life to the fullest, because it could end at any time, in a flash. Live your life how you want and live with no regrets. If you want to do something, then do it, or work until you can it if it’s currently out of reach. Life is short and it shouldn’t be taken for granted. Live every day as if it were your last.