This is hands down the hardest piece I’ve ever had to write and the whole time, I was waiting for someone to tap me on the shoulder and ask me to cut the crap. If you’re looking down at us, then I don’t need to tell you about the incredible sadness and pain engulfing your fans and family since the tragic news of your passing. Knowing you though, you’re probably itching to tell us all to move on and make the most of our own lives rather than grieve for you. But you know we can’t do that. We can’t just move on after the sudden death of one of the greatest sportsmen and humans. Even as I write this, several days later, I don’t believe you’re gone. Kobe Bryant doesn’t get to die. Not at 41! It’s the kind of news that hits hard. The kind that would make you choke or spit your drink. In fact, if I’d been driving, I might have crashed into something out of sheer shock. But I was in bed, with a severe migraine which I had hoped would clear in a few hours because I didn’t want to miss the Grammys broadcast, and then with no warning at all, came the announcement that you had died in a helicopter crash. My jaw dropped and I remember the anchor mentioned both your names but it still didn’t make any sense to me. Frantically, I flipped through various news channels and they were all confirming the same thing and my heart sank. Still, I was in denial and it appears the reporters were too because much as they seemed to be reporting the facts, they didn’t seem to believe the news themselves. It’s often said that media outlets write celebrities’ obituaries in advance but I doubt any of them had written yours. That’s how inconceivable this is. Maybe if you had been battling a long illness, the blow would have been softer. I remember muttering your name repeatedly. Kobe dead? Kobe dead? How? I asked again and again despite knowing the cause. It still feels like a bad dream or a terrible April Fools’ prank. Search results now say “Kobe Bryant WAS an American basketball player…” I can’t believe we’re saying “Rest in peace Kobe”. People survive plane crashes. Not often but they do and I was really hoping that just like the many comebacks over the course of your career, you would somehow survive that crash. But you didn’t and sadly, your daughter didn’t make it either. You were so proud and supportive of her and how tragic that you both died on your way to one of her games! I wonder what your last moments were like. Hate to make this about me but I’m now dreading my next flight. I was watching Emiliano Sala’s commemorations. He too died in a crash just last January and I remember thinking that I really don’t want to die in a crash but how can you know? I’m so glad we got to say goodbye, in a way, when you announced your retirement in 2016. To think that we thought that, that was difficult! I got teary-eyed back then as did many of your fans and in fact, I recall some people pointing out that you were retiring, not dead. Little did we know that the end was coming. Our tears won’t dry anytime soon. I’m glad we got to show you our love, admiration, and appreciation. We are incredibly lucky and grateful that we got to see you play. Even your rivals and critics respected you. Your legacy is solid. You inspired so many kids and grownups with your passion for the game, your dedication, loyalty, drive and work ethic. 24/8 makes all the more sense now because you weren’t a regular 24/7! You needed no introduction in any part of the world because everybody knows Kobe and media may have reported your death as “One of America’s greatest basketball players”, but you were like a son, brother or dear friend to all of us and there’s some solace in that. You’re incredibly missed and will be for a long time.
