Kobe Bryant: For a generation, Kobe was more than just basketball

For a generation, the impact of Kobe Bryant extends beyond just basketball and the Los Angeles Lakers

One of my earliest basketball memories growing up was watching Kobe Bryant throw the iconic alley-oop to Shaquille O’Neal in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers.

It was the beginning of what would end up being a historic 20-year NBA career for Kobe Bryant, in which he would go on to win five NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.

So when I found out that he had passed away in a helicopter accident, I, honestly, didn’t know how to react. I was arriving for a late lunch. Twenty minutes in, my wife asked me what was wrong.

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I was stunned. Shocked. Gutted. I didn’t want to believe the news. It couldn’t be true. For most of my life, growing up watching the game of basketball, I always viewed Kobe as indestructible. A hero. A legend.

Even when he tore his Achilles, he walked back on the floor and nailed two free throws to help his team. Insane. But that was Kobe Bryant.

For the first time, I believe, I saw Kobe as human. And it was a weird feeling. I had never met Kobe in person and was never a Lakers fan, per se. In fact, I grew up disliking him very much, especially considering that I rooted for the Chris Webber-led Sacramento Kings and Allen Iverson-led Philadelphia 76ers growing up.

Despite that, I was…heartbroken.

It was as if a piece of me was taken away. A piece of my childhood that I’ll never get back. But this is not about me. In fact, my feelings are far from what’s important here. After the initial shock, I thought of his wife, his surviving kids and the rest of the Bryant family – as well as the other families that will be impacted by this tragic event.

At the same time, I can’t help but think of the worldwide impact that Kobe Bryant had on a generation. Whether you rooted for him or not, many, including myself, grew up on Kobe. Even if you hated him, there was no way you couldn’t respect his game and greatness.

He was the Michael Jordan of a generation. He was the Michael Jordan for a league that desperately needed one. He may not have been a perfect human being, but who among us are? No human is perfect and we all come with faults.

Sunday morning, we all lost a legend. There aren’t words that could perfectly encapsulate the impact that Kobe had on not only this world but the NBA as a whole.

Before Sunday, I didn’t understand when people would mourn over celebrity deaths. I was naive and didn’t understand how someone could be torn up about a person that they never knew personally.

I get it now, though. I understand.

For many, Kobe was our escape outlet. It was a safe place where we could shut out the outside world and enjoy a game that we love. We could root for – or against – what many believed were actual superheroes.

Unfortunately, Kobe Bryant is not with us anymore but there’s no question that his legacy will live forever – both on and off the basketball court.