Kobe Bryant has died

You think any of these guys want to play?

 

I know if I were an NBA player, I would. I’d wanna do my best Mamba impression to honor his memory.

 

Stronger man than i

 

I didn't like or dislike Kobe Bryant, but he was certainly a tremendous basketball player and this is a really terrible tragedy, especially for the family still alive who have to handle that level of grief.

I am, however, always a little taken aback by the outpouring of grief over those that people didn't know personally, because they were celebrities, when these types of tragedies happen daily to "unknowns" and no one (aside from those who knew them, of course) particularly cares, even if they happen to hear about them. So, this is not to say that Kobe Bryant and his family don't deserve sympathy and sadness--they absolutely do--but it creates an unfortunate implication that celebrities matter much more as people in these awful occasions.

 

Very true. I feel terrible for all the families of those 7 other members in the helicopter. Every life is the same, they all matter.

 

Hell yeah Kobe would’ve wanted them to play, there’s no player I’m more sure of in this situation.

 

Think you're misinterpreting this. We saw this guy multiple times per week in our homes for 20 yrs. I couldn't stand the guy. And given the way he went and that too with his daughter has me shook. I don't get how I'm so affected by it but it's happening. No other explanations

 

Gianna was his oldest

 

Probably MJ/Bird are the only more competitive people to lace em up.

 

I don't get how it's surprising that people have a stronger reaction when something like this happens to someone they've watched for 20 years. We all knew who he was. It's pretty simple.

 

Kobe was a part of my life and probably many others as well. I wasn’t a fan of his but it’s still tremendously sad.

 

It is sad. My daughter has a rare condition and I say the same thing about her condition. Nobody knows what it is, and they won't, unless someone with celebrity power has a child with the same condition.

I cried today over Kobe. As much of a Blazers fan that I am, I always loved Kobe the player. I have owned a #8 and #24 jersey for over a decade.

It isn't that I have to know him. I've been obsessed as a NBA fan since I was 4. I grew up watching Kobe. He was a big part of my childhood. When shit was bad in my home, I always had the NBA to turn on to get away for awhile. Any fan of basketball loved watching him play. A part of my childhood died today. In a fashion I wouldn't wish on anyone ever.

Also, having a daughter, it hits home hard. One of my biggest fears is what happened to Kobe today. You die and leave your spouse and child to live in this world without your love and support. It reminds us all of the mortality we have.

 

Jesus H

 

Kobe was 10 months older than me. Until he retired literally my entire adult life had hating Kobe because he was on the Lakers as a part of it. As a Blazer fanatic and basketball fan, Kobe was a big part of my life. So even though I never met the man personally that doesn't mean he didn't or couldn't have an effect on me or that I shouldn't feel any kind of emotional response because he died. It's sad and I feel like he still had more to give to the game.

 

Your avatar speaks volumes in this case.

 

It really must be hitting the players hard. Most, if not all of them, grew up revering Kobe.

 

It's sad we can't have a discussion without insults just because we have a difference of opinion.