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Kobe Bryant used to torture me.
And if you’re reading this, he probably tortured you too.
Rewind 15-20ish years ago and Bryant used to break my heart as a young San Antonio Spurs fan, ending the Spurs hopes of an NBA title too short.
But long gone are the tears of San Antonio’s demise at the hands of the “Mamba.” Instead, Sunday brought a different kind of sadness.
The heartbreak of nine lives lost too soon in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, including 41-year-old Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Bryant leaves behind his wife Vanessa and daughters Natalia, Capri and Bianka.
The news shocked the sports world Sunday afternoon.
“Today is one of the saddest days of my lifetime," said Dwyane Wade in an emotional Instagram video. "It seems like a bad dream that you just want to wake up from. It's a nightmare."
Kobe Bryant was the Michael Jordan of my generation. Don’t believe me? Just ask all of us who threw our wads of paper into a trash can while yelling “Kobe!” Trust me, we all did it and you likely did it too.
“For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “He will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability.”
Bryant’s legacy, however, is controversial. On the court, he’ll go down as an 18-time NBA All-Star, a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player and a regular-season MVP.
But off the court, he was accused of sexual assault in 2003, which changed how Bryant appeared. The charges were later dropped. In the days, months and years to come after Bryant’s tragic death, we’ll have time to holistically examine his legacy.
What we’ll remember about Kobe’s life is the inspiration he leaves behind. His display that anything is possible, from the kid who was drafted straight out of Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia into the NBA to the man who won an Oscar award for his “Dear Basketball” short animation film.
San Antonio honored Bryant by allowing the 24-second shot clock to expire during their opening possession— memorializing his No. 24 jersey — with the Toronto Raptors following suit the next possession.
"All of us know what a great player he was, but he went beyond great playing," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after Sunday’s 110-106 loss to Toronto. "He was a competitor that goes unmatched, and that's what made him as a player so attractive to everybody; that focus, that competitiveness, that will to win.
“We all feel a deep sense of loss for what he meant to all of us in so many ways, and so many millions of people loved him for so many different reasons. It's just a tragic thing. There are no words that can describe how everybody feels."
Kobe Bryant used to torture me. But if the San Antonio Spurs can forgive him for the agony he caused many years ago, so can I. Rest easy, your name will remain immortalized — KOBE.
