By Justin Condevillamar, Staff Writer

On January 26, a helicopter flying over Calabasas, California crashed into a hill at 9:45 AM local time, killing every passenger aboard. NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Cristina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, and pilot Ara Zobayan were all immediately ruled dead at the crash site. Almost immediately after the first news of the crash came out, an outpouring of support for Kobe could be seen, with many people in the greater basketball community showing support for the fallen legend on social media, while others took to the streets to make makeshift memorials. The death of Kobe Bryant also affected many others outside the basketball community, most notably in the filmmaking industry, as Bryant was also a filmmaker following his retirement from the NBA.

During his basketball career, Kobe Bryant racked up a myriad of awards and accomplishments across a 20-year career for the Los Angeles Lakers. He won 5 NBA championships, 2 NBA finals MVPs, 18 NBA All-Star Game appearances, 11 All-NBA 1st team appearances, 2 Olympic gold medals, and scored the highest amount of points (81) in a game in the modern era. He was known for being a fierce competitor on the court, dedicating all of his time to improving his craft and having a fearless attitude during games, which became known as the “Mamba Mentality.” He was beloved by fans across the NBA for his exciting playing style and clutch shooting, and even symbolically finished his career with a 60 point performance in his final NBA game. After his NBA career, Kobe dedicated most of his time to being a father to his four daughters, and his passion for filmmaking. His commitment to filmmaking eventually resulted in an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, “Dear Basketball.”

When his death was first announced, many basketball fans across Los Angeles started to congregate at the Staples Center to pay respects, and eventually, a makeshift memorial was erected to honor his legacy. An unofficial mourning period was established across the basketball community, where fans, players, and coaches, all expressed their condolences for Bryant and took time to reflect on his past achievements. The Toronto Raptors-San Antonio Spurs game, for example, started with a 24 -second violation then, and then an 8-second backcourt violation in honor of Kobe’s jersey numbers, and other teams soon follow suit. Players also started to dedicate their performances in honor of Kobe, most notably a 45-point performance by Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, who idolized Bryant and was one of Gianna’s favorite players. The New York Knicks even changed the colors of Madison Square Garden to gold and purple, and also gave a special pregame tribute which included a 24-second runoff to honor the NBA legend. The week following his death was more of the same, as many players and coaches wore his shoes, and continual pregame and initial 24-second violations took place. On January 29th, the Brooklyn Nets left two front court seats open for Kobe and Gianna, after a famous photo of them watching a game there. The day after, the Los Angeles Clippers showed a special pregame tribute video, which included a speech by Paul George in honor of their fellow Los Angeles basketball legend. The Los Angeles Lakers played their first game on Friday, January 31st against the Portland Trailblazers, after their Tuesday game against the Clippers was canceled in order for them to have more time for them to mourn Kobe’s death. Before the game, thousands of Lakers fans visited the Kobe memorial; Usher performed “Amazing Grace”. Then, a tribute video narrated by Bryant himself on his life and career was shown, and after, there were 24.2 seconds of silence to pay respects to the 9 victims of the Calabasas helicopter crash. Finally, Lakers star LeBron James made a speech about Kobe and his impact on Los Angeles as a whole. At halftime, Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa performed the song “See You Again,” a song that was originally made as a tribute to the death of Paul Walker, an actor, and another Los Angeles icon. Ultimately, after a hard-fought game, the Lakers would lose to the Blazers, with Anthony Davis putting up 37 points, Hassan Whiteside having a 30 point triple-double, and Damien Lillard scoring 48 points.

For many people, Kobe Bryant was a famous basketball player who consistently rose above the competition. For Los Angeles Laker fans, Kobe represented a 20-year era of pure joy and dominant Laker basketball not seen since the Showtime Lakers of the 1980s. For many basketball players, Kobe showed an aggressive and dominant style of play that wasn’t seen since Michael Jordan, and players often replicated his style on the court, including other NBA players like Jason Tatum. Buy Kobe was able to transcend his status as a basketball player; he has proven to be a good family man, which can be seen through how he has handled adversity in his personal life and how he has supported Gianna’s wishes to become a basketball player like him. He is fluent in multiple languages and even explored a music career while he was playing for the Lakers. For the other victims of the helicopter crash, Alyssia Altobelli and Payton Chester were teammates with Gianna, John Altobelli was a college basketball coach at Orange Coast College, and Christina Mauser was an assistant youth basketball coach. On behalf of the Mills Thunderbolt,, and everyone in the greater Mills community; we express our condolences to the families of the deceased.

Photo Credits: Allen Berezovsky