GOODBYE KOBE BRYANT, THE ‘HUMAN BAT’ OF BASKETBALL by CAMERON DUODU
Kobe Bryant played basketball as if he was a bat. But a bat with eyes.
In other words, he could watch where he was going, but at the same time, he could sense who was behind, or coming towards him from his side. As if he had clothed himself with invisible radar waves that told him who was coming to attack him – and from which side – as he leaped towards the basket.
As he leaped high in the air to “dunk” the ball, he would writhe his body into positions that made it elude serious contact with the bodies of players attempting to deflect the trajectory of his leap and the subsequent throw-in action of his hands.
He’d successfully dunk the ball, and as the crowd yelled in delight, he would twist round and look his opponents up and down. If he was in Ghana, that look would amount to an insolent, silent question: “Can you me?” But even in America, where the body language may not be quite as explicit as Ghana’s the gesture’s meaning was unmistakable: “Did you see what I just did? Go back home if your aim is to stop me from scoring!”
Of course, not only did opponents think he was cocky: Bryant WAS cocky. And who wouldn’t be who was as beautiful on the court as Kobe was, and who packed playing talent in bags – like Bryant did?
If you could make your body do unbelievable things on the basketball court; and if you could score EIGHTY-ONE POINTS IN ONE GAME– a score that some whole teams are unable to replicate in a whole night’s play! – would you need to play at being cocky? It would come naturally, wouldn’t it?.
Bryant won FIVE NBA championships in his 20-year career, plus TWO Olympic gold medals. He was NBA’s Number Three All-time Scorer up till one day before he died – when he was replaced at the 3rd position by the new basketball King, LeBron James.
Kobe Bryant was a basketball genius, and sadly, his life was snuffed out in a helicopter crash on Sunday, 26 January, 2020. He was only 41 years old, and had retired from basketball only four years earlier – in 2016.
A keen enthusiast in passing on his knowledge to the coming generation of basketball players, he was on his way to take part in tutoring his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, when the helicopter in which they were travelling with seven other people (all connected with aspects of Gianna’s basketball training) crashed. There were no survivors.
Investigations are going on to try and establish the cause of the helicopter crash. But early indications point to weather-related issues.
According to the Los Angeles Times newspaper, “After taking off in Orange County, the helicopter flew northwest and then crashed … near Las Virgenes Road, south of the 101 Freeway, in Calabasas.”
The helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76B built in 1991, departed from John Wayne Airport at 9:06 a.m. Sunday, according to publicly available flight records.
The LATIMES says “The crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m.[on Sunday] near Las Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street in Calabasas. Authorities received a 911 call at 9:47 a.m., and firefighters arrived to find that the crash had ignited a quarter-acre brush fire in steep terrain”.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the crash. The NTSB database does not show any prior incidents or accidents for the aircraft. The helicopter’s manufacturer, Sikorsky, said in a statement Sunday that it is cooperating with the investigation.
The fog was severe enough on Sunday morning for the Los Angeles Police Department’s Air Support Division to ground its helicopters. It didn’t fly until later in the afternoon, a department spokesman said. “The weather situation did not meet our minimum standards for flying, The fog was enough that we were not flying.”
(LAPD’s flight minimums are 2 miles of visibility and an 800-foot cloud ceiling) .
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department made a similar assessment about the fog and had no helicopters in the air on Sunday morning – “basically because of the weather,”
Kurt Deetz, a former pilot for the company that operated the helicopter, and who used to fly Bryant, himself, in the chopper, said weather conditions were poor in Van Nuys on Sunday morning — “not good at all.” The crash was more likely caused by bad weather than engine or mechanical issues, he maintained. “The likelihood of a catastrophic twin engine failure on that aircraft — it just doesn’t happen,” he said.
Kobe Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and by three of his daughters. Tributes have been pouring in, to comfort the family and Bryant’s millions of fans. In a statement, Bryant’s long-time friend, perhaps the most famous NBA player of all time, Michael Jordan, said:
“I am in shock over the tragic news of Kobe’s and Gianna’s passing. Words can’t describe the pain I’m feeling. I loved Kobe – he was like a little brother to me. We used to talk often, and I will miss those conversations very much. He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force. Kobe was also an amazing dad who loved his family deeply – and took great pride in his daughter [Gianna’s] love for the game of basketball. Yvette [Michael’s wife] joins me in sending my deepest condolences to Vanessa, the [Los Angeles] Lakers organization and basketball fans around the world.”
While Bryant played for the Lakers his entire career, plenty of basketball fans in Chicago expressed dismay over the loss of the NBA legend as well. Particularly difficult for fans was Kobe’s young age. At just 41, he was embarking on a new career as an entrepreneur, trying to build up teams of his own.
Bryant was born in Philadelphia. His father, Joe, played eight seasons in the 1970s and ’80s for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers and, in his last stop, the Houston Rockets. He played college ball at La Salle and married a lady called Pam Cox. They named their first son Kobe, after the city in Japan.
Kobe Bryant excelled at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa., near Philadelphia, winning numerous national awards as a senior. before announcing his intention to skip college and enter the NBA draft. He was selected 13th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, but the Lakers had already worked out a deal with the Hornets to acquire Bryant before his selection.
As a 6-foot-6 guard, Bryant made his pro debut in the 1996-97 season opener for Lakers against Minnesota, as the youngest player to appear in an NBA game. Bryant and Lakers’ then leading scorer. Shaquille O’Neal, quickly morphed into one of the most lethal scoring and defensive combinations in the league. Together, with coach Phil Jackson guiding them, they led the Lakers to three consecutive championships (2000-02).
“There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through with this tragedy of losing my niece Gigi & my brother, Kobe” O’Neal tweeted on Sunday.
Rest in peace, oh Kobe! You have written yourself into many lives in all parts of the world. And that’s the best a human can do, really.
