Kobe Bryant: The Death of Super-Man
We have lost a legend and his daughter who wanted to carry on his legacy. To many around the world, most especially to the City of Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant was more than a professional NBA basketball player. The City of Los Angeles watched Bryant grow up when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers right out of high school, and then led the team into a new era, when the Lakers left the historic Forum and called the newly built Staples Center home. Bryant played his entire professional career of 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, not only becoming a hometown hero but also garnering global recognition for his incredible work ethic as an athlete that many had never seen before.
Bryant was an immortal figure that people were only used to seeing in fiction novels or comic books, like that of Superman. Late night show talk host, Jimmy Kimmel explained it best when he said Kobe was so big that he became a fictional character,
“he was a real life superhero with a costume and everything walking amongst us. Those of us who love the Lakers know that he always came through, he always showed up to save the day, he WANTED to save the day. He had a force of will, he never gave up.”
And in this way, he seemed invincible.
Kobe’s ability to hold himself to a standard that was far beyond mere excellence is exactly what he himself identified as the Mamba Mentality. He was able to defy all limits, even limits we believed would have stopped the best of the best as illustrated in 2013 where he continued to play with a broken achilles tendon against the Golden State Warriors. His drive to be the best version of himself was evident not just on the court but off the court as well.
When the news of Kobe Bryant’s death, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, from a tragic helicopter crash started reaching the public on Sunday, January 26, 2020, the wave of shock and disbelief consumed the entire City of Los Angeles and reverberated out to the rest of the world. Tragedies that affect the masses at this magnitude are few and rare. The last time I remember something of this magnitude was Princess Diana’s tragic passing.
As the news began to spread and footage of the helicopter accident was being shown, it was less than a few hours, perhaps even minutes, before others quickly jumped online to remind the world of Kobe’s biggest mistake rationalized in the context of making sure that the world remembers him in his entirety, both accomplishments and mistakes. This was in reference to his sexual assault accusation in 2003. Tasteless in timing, many took to various social media outlets to express the importance of addressing this issue as the fire fighters were struggling up the hillside trying to get to the wreckage while the fire raged on. As recapped by The Los Angeles Times sports article “What Happened with Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case”, written by Steve Henson on Jan. 26, 2020, Kobe was charged with one count of felony assault; the accuser decided not to testify and the case was dropped on Sept. 1, 2004. A civil suit was settled out of court on March 2, 2005.
The topic of sexual violence has become extremely relevant in 2020 with the emergence of the Me too movement following the Harvey Weinstein scandal, a known habitual predator for decades. But just as it is important to bring to light the damage sexual assault cases render to the victims and society as a whole, it is EQUALLY important to also recognize when the person accused has sincerely learned from their mistakes and have made genuine efforts to repent and become a better human being in order to best complete that conversation. Bryant made a public apology, fought for his marriage to stay with his wife through divorce proceedings, and dedicated his life to becoming the best husband and father he could be since those allegations entered their lives. Even though the world reveres him as a hero for the amazing athletic accomplishments, it is abundantly clear, especially with this helicopter crash, that he is still a human being, capable of making mistakes in the myriad of amazing achievements, capable of not being as invincible as we would like to believe, and capable in striving to become a better version of oneself than yesterday. Though the topic of sexual violence is an extremely important matter and not one to be swept under the rug, there is an appropriate time and place for everything and those who advocate for victims of sexual violence got it entirely wrong in this situation. Their need to advocate such a sensitive topic took priority over any respect for the surviving wife, Vanessa Bryant, and surviving daughters, Nathalia, Bianka, and Capri. The surviving women of the Bryant family watched the news of their husband and father and daughter and sister die in a helicopter crash while simultaneously being reminded of an allegation against Kobe made almost 20 years ago. To those who were quick to bring up this topic as the flames were being put out by the firefighters on Kobe’s plane, may your debt collectors offer your family the respect and decency of time before knocking at your family’s door for payment.
To add additional heartache to an already unfortunate situation, the world also lost Gigi Bryant, who died with her father. She was only 13 years old, a life hardly lived, but one full of potential never to be realized. Kobe was proud that Gianna had taken on the immense responsibility of carrying on her father’s legacy and showed her potential in basketball.
Kobe’s accomplishments in his short lifetime greatly outweigh any errors he made in his life and it shouldn’t go unnoticed, the efforts he put into becoming a better human being day in and day out. This is not to erase the rape allegation but it is to really see him in his entirety as many have claimed to do. Perhaps it was his natural drive and that incident which fueled him to exceed any standard of greatness us mere mortals can only aspire to. He helped others without wanting any public recognition. He was an advocate for female athletes as exemplified in his continued involvement with his daughter, Gigi’s basketball training and setting up the Mamba Academy. If Kobe was a man who was almost superhuman, defied all odds, worked to become a better human being in all ways, and performing acts of kindness to those in need. Kobe has earned the right to be remembered for being a great athlete, husband, father, and role model to all.
R.I.P. Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant and to the other passengers.