Kobe Bean Bryant, born on August 23, 1978. He had an illustrious 20 seasons in the NBA, with all seasons being played with the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe retired with five NBA championship rings, two finals MVPs, two Olympic Gold medals, and 17 all-star selections, all of which were consecutive. For years, Bryant has been considered a role model and exceptional basketball player to people all around the world. 

To the dismay of many across the nation, on Sunday January 26, Bryant’s helicopter crashed on his way to Calabasas, California for his daughter’s basketball tournament. Unfortunately, there were no survivors. The nine people on board included Gianna Bryant, Kobe’s 13-year-old daughter, another player on Kobe’s daughter’s team, Alyssa, along with her two parents John and Keri, Christina Mauser, Sarah, and Payton Chester, and the pilot, Ara Zobayan. 

Following the news of this tragedy, the numerous NBA games that were played on Sunday featured both teams taking 24-second shot clock violations during their first possessions, in honor of Kobe Bryant’s jersey number of 24. Two teams, the Phoenix Suns and Atlanta Hawks, also took eight-second backcourt violations in honor of the number 8 that Kobe wore his first 10 years in the league.   

Let the memory of one of the greatest basketball players to ever grace the NBA live on forever.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia.

Facts courtesy of cbssports.com, mambaout.com and si.com.