On January 26, 2020, nine people were killed in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California. Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant were two of nine people on the helicopter. They were heading to Mamba Sports Academy for a youth basketball event.
Many people think Kobe Bean Bryant was a very talented basketball player. He played high school basketball at Lower Merion and was drafted to the NBA straight from there. He was a shooting guard, number eight and twenty-four, and played twenty years with the Los Angeles Lakers.
His career averages were 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 1,346 regular season games. He won one MVP Award and was selected to play in 18 All Star Games. He had a record of 5-2 in the NBA Finals.
Anyone that has ever watched or heard of Kobe felt sorrow for his death. I sure did. Some of the NHHS students felt the same way.
Senior McKenzie Overschmidt responded, “His death is very shocking and sad. I think a lot of people are heartbroken! I think Kobe was the greatest basketball player of all time and I think he was very inspiring and just an all around good person!”
“Kobe was an amazing athlete-- impactful and a legend. His death was of course very tragic and depressing,” mentioned freshman Jessica Underwood.
“It is really sad that a legend like him goes out like that and that his daughter, who was supposed to keep his legacy going, went with him. He was one of the greatest athletes that has ever played in the game of basketball,” said senior Austin Yochim.
Freshman Andrew Rethemeyer responded, “I believe he was one of the most humble basketball players to [ever] live. His death was very sad for anyone that watched basketball.”
Kobe Bryant’s death shows that life is short, so make the best out of what you have and the time you have it.