Kobe Bryant Dies in Helicopter crash

[NDdomer2]

Getting upset about someone tragically passing seems more realistic than angrily typing on a forum about people being upset about someone tragically passing...

 

[irishnd31]

I think I speak for Circa when I say...

 

[Rogue219]

Getting upset about someone tragically passing seems more realistic than angrily typing on a forum about people being upset about someone tragically passing...

Tragedy police. Outraged at the outrage.

Seems to me that for a lot of people athletes, musicians and entertainers help make regular folks forget their troubles for a few hours. Regular schmucks feel connected to them. Kobe played for the Lakers for 20 years. Lord knows how miserable LA must be. He brought joy to those people.

My grandma would have Neil Diamond sing to every sick person in every hospital if she could. She thinks the guy walks on water and believes he'll win this fight tonight.

 

[NDdomer2]

Tragedy police. Outraged at the outrage.

Seems to me that for a lot of people athletes, musicians and entertainers help make regular folks forget their troubles for a few hours. Regular schmucks feel connected to them. Kobe played for the Lakers for 20 years. Lord knows how miserable LA must be. He brought joy to those people.

My grandma would have Neil Diamond sing to every sick person in every hospital if she could. She thinks the guy walks on water and believes he'll win this fight tonight.

I don't know if point of my comment was captured.

Kobe was one of my favorite athletes growing up (Jeter was the other). As a new Dad this one hit me double.

I was trying to point out that those coming online to complain about people being upset about the accident as "irrational" might need to think whats more rational. People being upset about the tragic and sudden death of 9 people, or the person who is sitting behind a keyboard complaining.

 

[IrishLion]

I was devastated about it because I can't imagine what it must have been like in those final moments, knowing something terrible was about to happen, but that there was nothing he could do to protect his little girl, who he so clearly loved beyond comprehension.

Losing Kobe because of his impact on basketball, on top of the tragedy of losing his daughter, is something that basketball fans feel.

I have zero interest in the NBA, and I had almost zero thoughts on 'Kobe the Player,' but I've followed 'Kobe the Retiree' a little bit, and have seen his outings with his daughter on social media and ESPN.

Considering what they went through, and how terrifying that must have been, and how helpless he must have felt, especially as a relatively new father that is still adjusting to the constant "are my kids okay?" paranoia... I felt Kobe's loss much harder than I would have ever imagined because of the dad connection.

I think it adds to the impact that he was such a high-profile guy, and guys like that are supposed to be invincible... and yet tragedy still struck. It just makes you think "what if that were me and my kid?" and even the most shallow thought experiment into a moment like that is sad and terrifying beyond reason, especially when you start to consider the void left behind for his wife and surviving daughters.

Just brutal.

 

[koonja]

I was devastated about it because I can't imagine what it must have been like in those final moments, knowing something terrible was about to happen, but that there was nothing he could do to protect his little girl, who he so clearly loved beyond comprehension.

Losing Kobe because of his impact on basketball, on top of the tragedy of losing his daughter, is something that basketball fans feel.

I have zero interest in the NBA, and I had almost zero thoughts on 'Kobe the Player,' but I've followed 'Kobe the Retiree' a little bit, and have seen his outings with his daughter on social media and ESPN.

Considering what they went through, and how terrifying that must have been, and how helpless he must have felt, especially as a relatively new father that is still adjusting to the constant "are my kids okay?" paranoia... I felt Kobe's loss much harder than I would have ever imagined because of the dad connection.

I think it adds to the impact that he was such a high-profile guy, and guys like that are supposed to be invincible... and yet tragedy still struck. It just makes you think "what if that were me and my kid?" and even the most shallow thought experiment into a moment like that is sad and terrifying beyond reason, especially when you start to consider the void left behind for his wife and surviving daughters.

Just brutal.

Well said.

Side note, I may have reported your post but I intended to rep you.

 

[greyhammer90]

I also think it's been such a shock to basketball fans because other than a few (such as Wilt), most of the historic greats of the NBA are still alive. Kobe Bryant dying before Bill Russell or even Kareem is unbelievable. It's like Ken Griffey Jr. dying before Babe Ruth. It feels fundamentally incorrect.

I'm not usually a guy who feels much beyond "that's too bad he/she was a talented person" when a notable celebrity dies. When I saw the headline about Kobe it felt like a punch to the gut. Instant nausea wave.

 

[IrishLion]

Well said.

Side note, I may have reported your post but I intended to rep you.

The system does not recognize when a user tries to report my posts.

The internet knows that all of my posts are beyond reproach.

(I got the reps and you didn't report it lol)

 

[greyhammer90]

The system does not recognize when a user tries to report my posts.

The internet knows that all of my posts are beyond reproach.

(I got the reps and you didn't report it lol)

Reported for mod abuse.

 

[Sea Turtle]

I don't know if point of my comment was captured.

Kobe was one of my favorite athletes growing up (Jeter was the other). As a new Dad this one hit me double.

I was trying to point out that those coming online to complain about people being upset about the accident as "irrational" might need to think whats more rational. People being upset about the tragic and sudden death of 9 people, or the person who is sitting behind a keyboard complaining.

Everybody is sad about this tragedy. There were several kids on the helicopter along with the adults. It's truly awful when something like this happens.

 

[Sea Turtle]

I want to apologize to Circa. I was a jerk in my response to you late last night. It was late and my filter was off. My apologies.

 

[ulukinatme]

I think I speak for Circa when I say...

 

[Greenore]

Sad... so sad. Families devastated.

Three victims of the age of 13.

God bless and love them all.

Cheers and Go Irish!!

 

[Greenore]

Sad... so sad. Families devastated.

Three victims of the age of 13.

God bless and love them all.

Cheers and Go Irish!!

I did not like that this was my 666 post... so...

Cheers and Go Irish!!

 

[Irishnuke]

Tragedy police. Outraged at the outrage.

Seems to me that for a lot of people athletes, musicians and entertainers help make regular folks forget their troubles for a few hours. Regular schmucks feel connected to them. Kobe played for the Lakers for 20 years. Lord knows how miserable LA must be. He brought joy to those people.

My grandma would have Neil Diamond sing to every sick person in every hospital if she could. She thinks the guy walks on water and believes he'll win this fight tonight.

It hit extremely hard down here, and not just his death either. I live in OC and work in LA and people are just devastated. Kobe was an icon in LA and was almost unanimously everyone’s favorite Laker, at least for those 50 and under. He did a lot for the community. He came to visit my friend’s kid’s school in Laguna Niguel just a few months ago. His wife regularly went tanning in a place my friend used to work at and she talked about how polite and courteous he was when someone approached him. I know some people want to be dicks and be dismissive and say his death wasn’t a big deal. That’s bullshit. He was an icon , especially here in LA. Every time someone would wad up a piece of paper and throw it in the trash they would yell Kobe first.

Was his life worth more than the others? No. I’ve seen people go on and on about why the other victims aren’t getting attention. Well 1) Kobe was one of the most popular athletes ever and 2) they are getting plenty of attention. I don’t know about nationally but here locally they have been all over the news and social media. So instead of the fake outrage, maybe just stfu about it and move on.

 

[Sea Turtle]

It hit extremely hard down here, and not just his death either. I live in OC and work in LA and people are just devastated. Kobe was an icon in LA and was almost unanimously everyone’s favorite Laker, at least for those 50 and under. He did a lot for the community. He came to visit my friend’s kid’s school in Laguna Niguel just a few months ago. His wife regularly went tanning in a place my friend used to work at and she talked about how polite and courteous he was when someone approached him. I know some people want to be dicks and be dismissive and say his death wasn’t a big deal. That’s bullshit. He was an icon , especially here in LA. Every time someone would wad up a piece of paper and throw it in the trash they would yell Kobe first.

Was his life worth more than the others? No. I’ve seen people go on and on about why the other victims aren’t getting attention. Well 1) Kobe was one of the most popular athletes ever and 2) they are getting plenty of attention. I don’t know about nationally but here locally they have been all over the news and social media. So instead of the fake outrage, maybe just stfu about it and move on.

Nobody is 'outraged'.

 

[Rogue219]

I don't know if point of my comment was captured.

Kobe was one of my favorite athletes growing up (Jeter was the other). As a new Dad this one hit me double.

I was trying to point out that those coming online to complain about people being upset about the accident as "irrational" might need to think whats more rational. People being upset about the tragic and sudden death of 9 people, or the person who is sitting behind a keyboard complaining.

I was agreeing with you.

 

[ACamp1900]

It hit extremely hard down here, and not just his death either. I live in OC and work in LA and people are just devastated. Kobe was an icon in LA and was almost unanimously everyone’s favorite Laker, at least for those 50 and under. He did a lot for the community. He came to visit my friend’s kid’s school in Laguna Niguel just a few months ago. His wife regularly went tanning in a place my friend used to work at and she talked about how polite and courteous he was when someone approached him. I know some people want to be dicks and be dismissive and say his death wasn’t a big deal. That’s bullshit. He was an icon , especially here in LA. Every time someone would wad up a piece of paper and throw it in the trash they would yell Kobe first.

Was his life worth more than the others? No. I’ve seen people go on and on about why the other victims aren’t getting attention. Well 1) Kobe was one of the most popular athletes ever and 2) they are getting plenty of attention. I don’t know about nationally but here locally they have been all over the news and social media. So instead of the fake outrage, maybe just stfu about it and move on.

I know this much... even the Halo fan boards are just overwhelmed daily with Kobe topics. Some of us tried to talk about our pitching challenges yesterday on it was shouted down...lol

 

[Rogue219]

It hit extremely hard down here, and not just his death either. I live in OC and work in LA and people are just devastated. Kobe was an icon in LA and was almost unanimously everyone’s favorite Laker, at least for those 50 and under. He did a lot for the community. He came to visit my friend’s kid’s school in Laguna Niguel just a few months ago. His wife regularly went tanning in a place my friend used to work at and she talked about how polite and courteous he was when someone approached him. I know some people want to be dicks and be dismissive and say his death wasn’t a big deal. That’s bullshit. He was an icon , especially here in LA. Every time someone would wad up a piece of paper and throw it in the trash they would yell Kobe first.

Was his life worth more than the others? No. I’ve seen people go on and on about why the other victims aren’t getting attention. Well 1) Kobe was one of the most popular athletes ever and 2) they are getting plenty of attention. I don’t know about nationally but here locally they have been all over the news and social media. So instead of the fake outrage, maybe just stfu about it and move on.

My company has a branch out in LA. Satelllite office with six people in it. They LOVE Kobe Bryant. And the Dodgers.

Needless to say, Monday sucked for them. On top of it, one employee lost her dad earlier this month and another lost her sister a few months ago. So the impact of their sports icon piles onto the personal losses.

I remember Walter Patyon and Michael Hutchence's deaths when I was in college hitting me very hard. I figured Walter was always going to be visible as an NFL legend. I just assumed INXS would be around doing their thing despite not being in their prime anymore. Both were gone at very young ages. Consider that they brought a lot of joy to a lot of people, whether we knew them or not. Doesn't make their lives more valuable than anyone else's, but when they're gone there is an impact for a lot of people.

I never realized how much Kobe pushed so many people and inspirted so many people to excel and do their best. Kids, athletes, etc.

 

[ThePiombino]

It hit extremely hard down here, and not just his death either. I live in OC and work in LA and people are just devastated. Kobe was an icon in LA and was almost unanimously everyone’s favorite Laker, at least for those 50 and under. He did a lot for the community. He came to visit my friend’s kid’s school in Laguna Niguel just a few months ago. His wife regularly went tanning in a place my friend used to work at and she talked about how polite and courteous he was when someone approached him. I know some people want to be dicks and be dismissive and say his death wasn’t a big deal. That’s bullshit. He was an icon , especially here in LA. Every time someone would wad up a piece of paper and throw it in the trash they would yell Kobe first.

Was his life worth more than the others? No. I’ve seen people go on and on about why the other victims aren’t getting attention. Well 1) Kobe was one of the most popular athletes ever and 2) they are getting plenty of attention. I don’t know about nationally but here locally they have been all over the news and social media. So instead of the fake outrage, maybe just stfu about it and move on.

Great post, thanks for sharing.

 

[ThePiombino]

Nobody is 'outraged'.

Uhhhhh, I think it's pretty fair to say that certain people are triggered by the reaction to Kobe's death.

 

[ulukinatme]

Kobe's death didn't hit me terribly hard. I feel more for his family and daughter going out so young, but I understand the impact he's made on others. This was pretty cool, I didn't know about this place:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...g-dunk-nearly-identical-kobe-bryant-2001-move

TO UNDERSTAND WHY Kobe Bryant meant so much to the residents of the Taguig Tenement, you must first understand the Philippine love affair with basketball. In the Philippines, you can find the game everywhere, from tiny fishing villages to congested urban intersections. Basketball is played in cemeteries, amid rice paddies, along train tracks and on street corners. Courts come in all shapes and sizes. Full courts, half courts, quarter courts. Sometimes a hoop with no court. On the best courts there are fading free throw and 3-point lines, but more often there are ankle-wrecking cracks and curbs and an edict to watch out for cars -- both parked and moving.

"Basketball is a religion to us," Swift says. "We put basketball courts wherever we want to, wherever we please. On gates, on trees, on top of sand, concrete, dirt, whatever. All you really need is a ring and a basketball and you can be by yourself and play this game peacefully and enjoy."

In election season, local politicians host basketball tournaments and fix crumbling courts to gain favor with voters. Officials have even postponed local elections that clash with the NBA Finals. As of last year, the NBA's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts had more combined followers from the Philippines than from any other country outside the United States.

What soccer is to Brazil, basketball is to the Philippines. The sound of a bouncing ball is the country's unofficial soundtrack. Wagers are often placed on games, even by children. Many of the kids play barefoot -- some pour drops of soda pop on the playing surface to help their traction.

"When they win, of course they're happy," says Eddie Barbuena, who has lived his entire live in the Tenement and coaches the local basketball teams. "They have food. They feed their families."

So it makes sense that in the 1960s, a few years after residents first moved into the seven-story, 671-apartment concrete maze that is the Tenement, they used their own money to build the only thing they wanted in the building's courtyard: a basketball court. Since then, the court has become the social and recreational hub for the building's more than 1,500 residents.

"At the Tenement, basketball is life," Barbuena says. "This place is not perfect. But on the basketball court, we are one family, one community. Then you can forget your problems when you go home."

Tenement life is not easy. The rooms are less than 250 square feet. There are no elevators. There is no running water. The plumbing system broke years ago, forcing residents to traverse one of two sets of ramps to fill plastic water jugs. The jugs are put on carts and pushed back to their apartments, where they are emptied into large plastic drums, allowing residents to cook, clean, use the bathroom and bathe.

"Your first impression is a vertical slum," says Rommel Trinidad, who works as an engineer for the National Housing Authority and is a district manager responsible for the Tenement. Most of the apartments are roughly the size of an NBA lane and often are home to multiple families.

But on weekend mornings, basketballs begin bouncing by 5 a.m. and don't stop until a 10 p.m. curfew. Players are young and old, male and female. With a ball in their hand and the Tenement court at their feet, they are Kobe, Jordan, Kyrie, LeBron. One Tenement couple named two of their children Antawn Jamison and Anfernee Hardaway. Hardaway's dad even calls him "Penny." "For me, my everyday life is not complete without basketball," says the dad, William Victore, who has lived his entire life in the Tenement. "Even before we had our first child, I told my wife, 'I will use the name Anfernee Hardaway Victore for our first child.' She didn't even disagree."

It goes on to talk about the different murals that have been done in the past and the connection to basketball. Interesting read.

 

[BleedBlueGold]

Good read: https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/a-powerful-friendship-between-kobe-bryant-and-mid-major-assistant-coach-has-a-community-still-grieving/

 

[ulukinatme]

Man, that's gotta be wild. Joe Nobody gets to go to Amsterdam, Lakers victory parade, and just hang out with Kobe all the time. Chance meeting ends in a tight friendship.

 

[BGIF]

FEBRUARY 14, 2020 / 5:41 PM / UPDATED 9 HOURS AGO
Bryant named Basketball Hall of Fame finalist, three weeks after death
Brendan O'Brien

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Three weeks after Kobe Bryant, one of the most dominant players in NBA history, was killed with his daughter and seven others in a helicopter crash, the global sports icon was named a finalist to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Bryant, fourth all time in NBA scoring, played for the Los Angeles Lakers during an illustrious 20-year career that was highlighted by five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs and one league MVP.

The announcement came during the NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago, which culminates on Sunday with an exhibition game featuring the sport’s best players. The three-day event is likely to be muted as the National Basketball Association pays homage to the fallen star.

“I’ve never seen in my long life an athlete passing that had the impact that Kobe’s passing had on people, people on the street, people that didn’t even know him,” said Jerry Colangelo, chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, after the announcement was made.

“In my case it was personal... so much more difficult for me and family,” said Colangelo, a long-time NBA executive who was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2004.

Bryant won nine All-Defensive First Team honors, four All-Star Game MVP awards and a Slam Dunk Contest title. Bryant also sits as the Lakers’ all-time leader in several categories, including games played and steals.

Bryant wore the No. 24 and No. 8 during his career. Both numbers are retired by the Lakers with his jerseys hanging from the Staples Center rafters.

Joining Bryant as finalists were former NBA stars Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Chris Bosh, along with former Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) stars Swin Cash and Tamika Catchings.

Also named as finalists were three-time NCAA National Championship coach Kim Mulkey, five-time Division II National Coach of the Year Barbara Stevens, four-time National Coach of the Year Eddie Sutton and two-time NBA Champion coach Rudy Tomjanovich.

Bryant was on his way with his daughter and seven others to a youth basketball tournament on Jan. 26 when the helicopter they were in crashed in Calabassas, California.

Class of 2020 inductees will be named during the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta, Georgia in early April. The enshrinement ceremony will take place at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. on Aug. 29.

 

[Circa]

My Childhood Idol standing up explaining why I love him to this day.
Kobe's death might have hit me differently today.
#RIPKobe

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-SEiGEbxv5M" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[ulukinatme]

I saw the little reference he made to the Crying Jordan meme, but I had not seen the full speech yet. Pretty poignant and moving.

 

[Rogue219]

Probably the most human and relatable I've ever seen Michael Jordan. Considering how awful his HOF speech was, this was absolutely fantastic.

I found Mamba Mentality at a Walmart last night for $24. You can't find that book anywhere. I did a double take when I saw it and grabbed a copy faster than a jack rabbit on a date.

Make a small donation to the families of the other victims if you are able.

 

[Circa]

I mistakenly just found Kobe's autopsy report. I'm just gonna forwarn everyone that it Is disturbing. I won't post a pic, here's a link.


https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17L41z_DUmLRR78KMopVS5KE7TXbVucAO

 

[Bishop2b5]

I mistakenly just found Kobe's autopsy report. I'm just gonna forwarn everyone that it Is disturbing. I won't post a pic, here's a link.


https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17L41z_DUmLRR78KMopVS5KE7TXbVucAO

I'd recommend against most people reading this. It's an autopsy report. It's not sensational, but it is graphic in a manner typical of such reports. The good news is he almost certainly died instantly with no pain.