https://www.wsj.com/articles/legacies-kobe-bryant-and-impeachment-11580428711Kobe Bryant was truly an inspiration to the game of basketball. His competitiveness, drive, skill set, and love for the game made spectators want to watch his game over and over again. Memories from his “three-peat” with the Los Angeles Lakers to his 81 point game made a mark on history that will never be forgotten. 

Many things come to mind when remembering Kobe Bryant, such as one of the greatest basketball players ever, Oscar winner, family man, and one of the biggest competitors of all time. On January 26 – the one-year anniversary of his death – everyone remembered what Kobe Bryant did for the game of basketball as well as society. He is missed greatly.

“After his death, seeing everything he has done, he wasn’t just a great NBA player. He was a role model for many as just an all around great player and person,” said Luke Gustafson.

January 26, 2020, marked the day that Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and everyone in the tragic helicopter accident sadly did not make it out. Kobe and his daughter (Gigi) were on their way to her basketball game taking a helicopter for transportation. Unfortunately the weather was not stable enough in LA to be flying at the time, and it caused them to crash. This crash instantly took over news headlines all over from ESPN, Good Morning America, World News Tonight and more. This death caught many by surprise as it was a tragedy to lose a figure in the NBA community and society.

People remember Kobe Bryant as a national figure. He is one of the best scorers basketball has ever seen, having the second highest point total game of 81 points, and ending his career with a 60 point game in his final appearance. Kobe Bryant achieved almost every award in basketball: five-time NBA champion, the NBA’s MVP in 2008, Espy Icon Award (2016), ten-time all-star, four-time all-defense player, and many more achievements making him a basketball icon. In society, he is looked upon as a role model, and his talents outside of basketball include winning an Oscar for an animated short “Dear Basketball”.

When asking how people felt about Kobe, they thought the news about his death was false at first. 

“I couldn’t believe it as my friend called me talking about it. I was in complete shock hearing it was from a helicopter crash. I thought it was a fake source until I saw all the news articles on it,”  Gustafson said.

It was truly a hard thing to swallow as it shocked the sports world. 

“After his death, I didn’t know how great of a player he really was watching all of his old highlights. I was really young when he was an elite player in the league,” said junior Andrew Larson.

Tributes to Kobe Bryant after his death consisted of many memorials, such as the all-star game taking a moment of silence, and having the Eastern Conference team wear number 8 and the Western Conference team wear 24. These were both jersey numbers that Kobe Bryant wore during his career. It was hard for NBA players to take in the news at first as many of the players were his best friends, teammates, and competitors who looked up to him and had respect for him. Other tributes included starting games from the tip with one team taking an eight-second violation not crossing half-court for Kobe, and the other team taking a twenty-four-second shot clock violation in honor of the two numbers Kobe Bryant wore.

Now in 2021, people remember the player, competitor, person, and passion Kobe had. On January 26, everyone remembered Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and others involved in the accident, and how they touched everyone’s hearts in the game of basketball and society.