“Even not knowing him, everyone feels close to Kobe,” Leigh Kakaty, 44, said. “Part of our youth passed away.”⁣
⁣
I got all choked up this morning in front of my first class. And then my second class. And my third. As much as I hate hyperbole, this does actually feel like a personalized national tragedy. Just about everyone I know has been impacted – even people I didn’t think gave a damn about basketball recognize the sense of loss with this one. I woke up, thought everything was fine and then remembered what happened and my countenance fell again. I keep trying to understand why it’s so saddening…⁣
⁣
I talked with almost every single one of my closest high school and college friends…the guys I played ball with day in and day out for years…even my friend who changes his number and disappears every 1-2 years called me. It really feels like we lost a close friend. A dude we all grew up with. A dude we all watched and compared ourselves to at one time or another. A dude that sparked no short of a trillion drunken conversations and arguments…and now he’s gone.⁣
⁣
IMO, Kobe was really the first *internet* basketball player. Jordan didn’t really have to deal with it. Lebron mostly knew how to deal with it (or had people help him navigate it). Kobe had to learn on his own.⁣
⁣
I don’t know…once again, it comes back to family and friends and fatherhood and life and…It’s just…sad. ⁣
⁣
The pics of Kobe and his daughter…they’re just so strikingly authentic. Especially the candid shots. Admittedly I didn’t know all that much about her, but I did come across the photos from time to time and the subconscious thought was just ‘man this guy really loves his kids’. I think my favorite set is of them right after he won (another championship)…with all of the madness going on around him – it’s clear that the most important of all is what is right in front of his face. Just…love for his family.⁣