Los Angeles — Fans of the late Kobe Bryant, who died a year ago to the day, along with his daughter and seven others, when their helicopter crashed into a hillside in Los Angeles, paid tribute to the basketball legend on Tuesday in a place where his death is constantly remembered.
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The death of Bryant, who won five championships in 20 seasons with the Lakers, shook the sports world and sparked an outpouring of emotion in the city, where the pain of his loss is only surpassed by the legacy he left behind.
Army Specialist Malcolm Marks first watched Kobe play when he was nine years old, and he says the man known as “Black Mamba” encouraged him to not only play basketball but to strive for excellence in all facets of life.
“Every day, I strive to have that Kobe, that Mamba mentality,” he stated as he stood near the Staples Center arena.
“I live my life, work hard, and expect to achieve great things. And I will keep striving.”
Miguel Fong and Tina Munos, a Los Angeles local couple, were deeply affected by Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna’s death.
“I’m Kobe’s age, and we both have girls, so it touches us personally,” Fong added.
“You never know when it will come to an end. Accidents happen, just like they did on that particular morning one year ago. It was only an accident.
“But he will live on forever through his legacy,” Fong explained.
Bryant’s death spurred the Lakers, who won the National Basketball Association title last season, ending a championship drought that had begun in 2010, when Bryant was named the Finals’ most valuable player.
Johnny Anderson, who created a big sign picturing Kobe and Gianna as angels, claimed that higher powers were at work throughout the championship run.
“That was God to me,” he explained. “It was intended to happen. “God pulled it together.”
‘Amazing Human Beings.’
Vanessa Bryant, who delivered a heartfelt statement at a tribute for her husband and daughter at the Staples Center last February, said the tragedy “doesn’t seem real.”
“I miss my baby girl and Kob-Kob very much,” she wrote in an Instagram post to commemorate the anniversary.
“I’ll never understand why/how this tragedy occurred to such beautiful, compassionate, and brilliant people… Kob, we did it correctly. Gigi, you still make Mommy proud. “I love you!”
Hall of Famer Ray Allen, who joined the NBA with Bryant in 1996 and faced him numerous times, including twice in the Finals, said it was incredible to see his development as a player and a person.
“Kobe’s legacy is all about starting from scratch and winning,” Allen stated in a recent interview.
