On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and 7 other passengers died in a helicopter crash in California. Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest basketball players ever to play the game. Numerous athletes came together across the world to pay their respects to the lives lost on that Sunday morning. 

The group was on the way to Gigi’s travel basketball game. Athletes in the NBA wrote messages on their shoes about Kobe and Gigi. 

“He was like a little brother to me,” said NBA superstar Michael Jordan in a Tweet last week.

“Kobe was so much more than an athlete, he was a family man. That was what we had most in common. I would hug his children like they were my own and he would embrace my kids like they were his. His baby girl Gigi was born on the same day as my youngest daughter Me’Arah,” said former Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal on Twitter. 

People around Liberty High School are devastated by the news of Kobe’s passing. Bryant was not just an amazing basketball player, but he was an amazing person off of the court as well.

“Kobe was an inspiration and left a legacy of hard work also known as the Mamba Mentality,” said senior Caleb Wanner.

“I was very sad when I found out he was dead. He was one of my favorite players to play the game and I wrote his name on my wrist to remember him in my last basketball game,” said sophomore boys basketball player Noah Chinault.

“I felt like the world had just stopped. My heart was broken and it is a tragedy that I will never forget for the rest of my life,” said junior girls basketball player Jazzy White.

A big lesson that everyone can take away from this tragedy regardless if you knew who Kobe was or not, is that life is so precious. At any point in time, life can be taken away no matter who it may be.

“I was heartbroken. One of my idols growing up passed away. It really hit me hard and it made me realize how precious life really is,” said junior boys basketball player Hunter Humphries.

It is sad that Kobe’s younger daughter will have to grow up without a father figure in her life. His wife Vanessa grieved the loss.Vanessa Bryant will have to raise the rest of the kids without a father figure in the household.

“Kobe’s death really hit hard for me. He was a phenomenal basketball player and an even better father. He always loved interacting with his fans and helping out with the community. He is a legend in my eyes from player to citizen and he will forever be missed,” said junior Colin Cooper.

Professional basketball players paid their respects by taking 24 second violations the first game they played after Kobe’s passing. Teams also took 8 second violations to honor Bryant. NBA teams did this to honor both of the numbers that Kobe wore in his career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Kobe’s legacy will forever be remembered by everybody across the sports world. His love for the fans, his fellow teammates, and the game will forever be cherished for generations to come.