While I was waiting to pick up Cameron and Doug after the game yesterday, I received a text from Cal telling me that Kobe Bryant had died. I had to read it several times before it sunk in completely. I quickly searched my phone for the news and found out immediately that it was a helicopter crash that claimed his life. I couldn't believe it.
Kobe Bryant had never been on of my favorite professional athletes. He seemed arrogant to me and I never quite forgot the rape allegations fifteen years ago against him. In recent years, however, my opinion of him had changed. He had retired three years ago and since that time had written several children's books, produced an Oscar winning short film and had become a strong advocate of female sports. In every talk show interview that I watched last year, his close relationship with his wife and daughters was continually highlighted. Retirement seemed to suit him well which made the news of his death even more sad.
Cal, on the other hand, had been a Bryant fan since he first started to follow the NBA in early elementary school. He bought a Kobe biography when he was in third grade and read it cover to cover. His generation had grown up watching Kobe, impressed with his skill at basketball. Cal remarked that the timing was almost unreal as he had just witnessed Lebron pass Kobe on the all time scoring list last night.
As the evening wore on and more information was released, it was announced that Kobe was flying to his daughter's travel basketball game when the crash occurred. She was killed with him as well as two of her teammates, their family members and a coach. The sadness of it all was almost overwhelming. As with most tragedies it seemed completely unfair and definitely hard to comprehend. By the time I went to bed tonight I realized that most importantly it was a good reminder for all of us that life can change in a moment and a tough basketball loss yesterday didn't seem all that big of a deal anymore.
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