On January 26th, 2020, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were traveling to the Mamba Academy with two others who at the time of this writing are still unknown, when the helicopter they were riding in crashed, leaving no survivors. The cause of the crash is also still unknown.

Kobe Bryant was a 5-time NBA champion, 18-time All-Star and was the 2008 NBA MVP. Bryant played the entirety of his 20 year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and was a part of some of the most famous teams of all time.

As a life-long basketball fan, this news is a shock to me. I had the privilege to grow up in a time where Kobe Bryant played basketball. There was always something about him that others just didn’t have. This would grow to be known as the “Mamba Mentality”. No matter what he accomplished, what he achieved, he always strived to be better. It was through the game of basketball that he was able to make such a difference in people’s lives. The impact that he had on not only the game of basketball but as a human being who so many adored and looked up to was something that I can’t even put into words. He truly was one of the most class acts to ever grace this great game. As a fan of the game, I’m devastated, and it still doesn’t seem real to me that he is gone. My heart goes out to his wife, Vanessa, and his daughters Natalia, Bianka, and Capri as they mourn the loss of their father and their sister Gianna, who was only 13 years old.

“It’s the one thing you can control. You are responsible for how people remember you—or don’t. So don’t take it lightly.” – Kobe Bryant