Written By: Jovan Popovic (VP of Journalism) & Nabil Haider (Basketball Editor)
How does the legendary career of Kobe Bryant inspire so many?
By: Jovan Popovic
Legacy.
A few days prior, I was asked by a friend how I would describe the legendary career of Kobe Bryant, and all I needed was one word. Kobe was a really special player for the NBA through his entire career. Not only was he a superstar in the league, but he was the beginning of a culture shift, not only for the NBA, but for anyone who watched and read about him. He was so much more than an NBA player.
Through Kobe’s career he was an 18x all-star, 2x scoring champion, 5x NBA champion, 2x finals MVP, 4x all-star MVP, 15x all-NBA, 12x all-defensive, and a 1x MVP award winner. He would finish his career with 33,643 points, good for third all time. He and his father Joe would also combine for the most points by a father-son duo in NBA history. Despite all this, he wasn’t most well known for his achievements, or his athletic abilities, but rather the mentality he brought into every game. The “Mamba Mentality”.
Kobe Bryant was known as one of the craziest players in the league, but in a good way. His work ethic was outmatched. He spent hours in the gym day after day, and nobody worked harder than he did. He pushed his teammates limitlessly to keep getting better - sometimes too far. He never understood boundaries, and always kept pushing. One could reference the time he dislocated his finger mid game. The team trainer popped it right back in, and Kobe went right back into the game like nothing ever happened. Maybe one would reference the time he tore his ACL, and took the free throws anyway, making them both. Perhaps one would bring up Jay Williams' famous story, where he came to the stadium early to get shots up, as he knew he would be playing Kobe later that night. When he got there, Kobe was already drenched in sweat, seeming as if he had been practicing for a couple hours already. During Williams’ workout, Kobe would continue practicing at 100%, and 2-3 hours later Williams would leave for the locker room, while Kobe continued putting up shots at full speed. The stories of the “Black Mamba” come endlessly, and have inspired thousands over the years.
If a regular kid from Lower Merion high school in Philly can do all of this, and leave behind a legacy as big as he did, why can’t you?
How did you feel when the news broke one year ago today?
By: Jovan Popovic
I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was at my desk working on some political science tutorial assignment, when my phone starts going off. I see someone in my group chat types “Guys, I think Kobe just died.” I ignored it, as he was the “funny guy” of the group. 10 minutes later, my phone is blowing up with messages, so I check what’s going on. My heart drops. I can hear my heart beating, my hands start to sweat, and I start shaking a little. I check google to see if it’s true, and the first thing that pops up is the TMZ article about the helicopter crash. I ran downstairs to tell my family, who was just as stunned and saddened as I was. I would spend the next few hours in my room, waiting for the notification saying he was okay. Waiting for the message that he jumped out at the last second. Waiting for the message that he was injured, but alive. Those messages never came.
Baseball and basketball have always been my top sports, and I always idolized many athletes growing up. I remember a sad day in 2016, when my favourite active MLB player Jose Fernandez passed away in a boating accident at age 24. One year later in 2017, Roy Halladay, my favourite baseball player of all time passed away in a plane crash at age 40. Just two years later in 2019, my favourite NBA player Kobe Bryant would pass away in a helicopter crash. I looked up to all three athletes as absolute idols, but for some reason Kobe was different. I couldn’t get over that one so easily.
Kobe was always an athlete that inspired people. His work ethic was unmatched, and he would always step up for a challenge. He would never shy away, he would always give it his best, and he might have been the most confident player the league had ever seen. As he used to say “confidence comes from preparation. You know, so when the game's on a line, I'm not asking myself to do something that I haven't done thousands of times before right, so when I prepare, I know what I'm capable of doing.”
So many people have taken inspiration from Kobe in so many different ways, including myself. This is why his passing had the effect that it did on so many different people all around the world. The stories he created, the memories he gave, and the legacy he left behind, people will never forget. He was so much more than just an athlete. For many, he is a sign of hope - a sign that anything is possible if you put in the time and effort. For others, he is a sign of reward - proving that hard work will always pay off. This is what made him the special person that he is.
Kobe Bryant might not be here to inspire us any longer, but his legacy shines larger than ever before. Kobe, you will never be forgotten. Heroes Get Remembered, but Legends Never Die.
How does the legacy of Kobe Bryant live on after his tragic passing?
By: Nabil Haider
The legacy of Kobe Bryant has been an empowering force to carry with ourselves, in the midst of a year full of hardships. His impact reaches so far beyond basketball, and has inspired so many to embody the same principles he did. The Mamba Mentality. The diligent and relentless pursuit of what we in believe in. A mantra to live by, that has inspired, motivated, and enabled us to achieve the unthinkable. I’m sure many are thinking how badly we needed his voice in a year where the NBA was often at the centre of the fight for equality, in light of the outpour of social injustices this year. However, I like to think that despite him not being here, his legacy was ever-present. Kobe Bryant was influential in advocating for women’s basketball and the WNBA, so much so that the league created the Kobe and Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award in his honour. He worked tirelessly to put the WNBA in the spotlight it belongs in so that it could finally get the attention it deserves. Recently, amidst the Georgia Senate run-off elections, that attention he helped garner paid its dividends. A movement organized by Bryant’s close friend and WNBA legend Sue Bird, the Atlanta Dream began wearing “Vote Warnock” shirts during the WNBA bubble, in support of Georgia Senate candidate, and Democrat, Raphael Warnock. If elected over Republican candidate Kelly Loeffler, who called Black Lives Matter “divisive” and coincidently was an owner of the Atlanta Dream, Warnock would have enabled a Democratic majority in the Senate, in addition to their majority in the House of Representatives. Because of the Atlanta Dream, Warnock was able to win the run-off election in January by the slightest of margins, and flip the Senate, a landmark achievement in the fight for equality. In reality, Kobe Bryant had no direct role in this momentous event, but nonetheless I like to think that his unrelenting advocacy for the WNBA, served as inspiration and empowered those who made this possible to be so much bigger than basketball. Heading into 2021 with a breath of optimism and new opportunities, that’s the word I would use to describe what Kobe Bryant’s legacy has done for all of us, empowered.
The Mamba mentality is so much bigger than basketball. It inspires us to go after the impossible, and transcend the labels society confines us with. He won an Oscar for goodness sake, go do something incredible and don’t let anyone tell you it’s not possible.
8/24 - You will be missed
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