https://amp.tmz.com/2020/01/26/kobe-bryant-killed-dead-helicopter-crash-in-calabasas/

im speechless right now.

the idea of Kobe dying at that age is just... unthinkable

.

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1221521133608079368?s=12


Adrian Wojnarowski
‏Verified account @wojespn

Kobe Bryant is among those dead in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles, a source confirms to ESPN.

.

peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

helicopters are a fucking problem

http://www.twitter.com/steelysteel

two different people in the store stopped and asked me what they were and I was like “Kobe 11 Elite...probably the best shoes I’ve ever hooped in”

-------------------------------------------------------
Keep the crack raps up that shit is double plus what-ever-the-fuck.
Everybody's afraid to say that it just sucks to watch talented motherfuckers pretending they sell drugs - EL-P

about the kids, but i dont see it anywhere else as confirmed

that 5 people died

Unless Kobe was flying the plane...

I read that ALL passengers died. So just going with that math here...

-------------------------------------------------------
Keep the crack raps up that shit is double plus what-ever-the-fuck.
Everybody's afraid to say that it just sucks to watch talented motherfuckers pretending they sell drugs - EL-P

.

ive seen people saying they saw it on abc but nothing official from abc.

peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

Dumb ass ABC rumor mongering

like when dude came on the pro bowl via telephone and just casually threw that in there and nobody had any reaction to it...it seemed off.

maybe be 100% certain about that kinda thing before you drop it.

.

only people on twitter are saying that.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

.

That’s all I got

This shit got me sad as hell

RIP, sickening to even think about.

Stunned right now
Just saw his interview with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson

RIP Kobe...

>https://amp.tmz.com/2020/01/26/kobe-bryant-killed-dead-helicopter-crash-in-calabasas/
>
>im speechless right now.

Man, I'm stuck

My age

It literally brought everyone together For a few hours.

Jesus this is horrible.

I have no words.

.

i have coached my kids.

and my last two have been my daughters. and those clips of kobe explaining stuff to her during games... those are such pure moments.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

.

i see a crowd starting to form outside staples to pay homage.

Thank you for giving your physical and mental ability to the game
of basketball.

.

On their way to a travel basketball game.

goddamn...

Came to mind when this happened. I’m so heartbroken. I don’t understand. Basketball being my first love...y’all know I love the game much enough to argue with you niggas for years. This hurt. I didn’t realize it would. I been crying for like 30 minutes. Dear God may he Rest In Peace. I hope all is well on here. Peace.


<--- :)

most of the lifecycle of this site.

so its fitting we'd meet up here like old classmates at a wake.

*sigh*.

hope you good.

peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

All through high school, getting on a bench was a bitch because no one would ever actually lift they’d just argue over Kobe vs Lebron. An all timer obviously, way more significant to the culture than I thought until I realized years later how much he meant to dudes when guys like Durant and Steph and Kyrie started calling him number 2 all time.

This is unfathomably sad. Buss fam better throw a parade just for him. Snoop and Dre as masters of ceremonies. Fuck dude. Rest easy mamba.

My wife told me and I turned on NBA TV. Don't even know that to say.

.

I was just thinking it must be hard for the players to get up for it. Gary Payton on ESPN crying, right now.

I agree with your point about Kobe...but dudes were hurt and it was just too fresh...

https://twitter.com/KINGCRlM/status/1221556370849222657

They let the 24 sec shot clock wind all the down to begin the game as a tribute to Kobe.

RIP Kobe

______________________________________________________________________________

"To Each His Reach"

but.....

Fuck aliens.

.

Didn't want to believe until I absolutely had to.

I instantly have visions of he & his daughter at the game, her looking along as Kobe guided her in exemplary fatherhood.

For some reason this hurts more than any other celebrity death I can remember.

-->

https://twitter.com/kobebryant/status/1221276426164269056

https://thespun.com/more/top-stories/lebron-james-shoes-message-kobe-bryant

Nah man - this shit is too surreal.


-->

https://twitter.com/SBNation/status/548478928533590016
-----
A Twitter argument over Kobe led someone to drive to Temecula on Christmas to fight.

http://t.co/WSmXTlqtA5
-----

.

https://twitter.com/Dodgers/status/1221286126775754755

.

i wonder who else was on board.

With another family from the team

Not the Mamba.

What the fuck.

I'm not gonna be ok fuck this.

Like, on a subconscious level I thought he’d pop up, say something, and make me furious for the next 50 years.

Shit:

My dad and I were just talking about how he used to take a chopper to games last night and this morning when my brother called me to tell me the news I was actually a few exits away from where the crash occurred. This hits home RIP to him and his daughter and the rest of the victims and their families

Just unreal

I've been fortunate over my life that I have yet to suffer true loss. My grandparents died when I was very young, lost an aunt a few years ago that lived halfway across the world so I almost never got to see her. This is the biggest loss I've ever suffered, much worse than losing Nipsey. Worst day of my life.

we had some tight back n forths about Bean..but this one hurt bad..

Rest in peace.

Just tell the ones that you love that you love them. That's all I got.

Kobe was my favorite player. I remember being a fan back in high school. Me and a friend would have arguments about who is better between him and Iverson. Man I'm just in disbelief because, I thought we would see Kobe as an old man....but I guess that wasn't the plan God had so.....

said dude left the arena when he found out before the game and didn't return. Kobe was his guy, for real.

y'all thought I was just sicing calling him Kobe 2.0
he really was the King of Kobestan.

and apparently there's more in the NBA who lived in Kobestan than we thought.

Kyrie face timed Kobe from the locker room after they came back from 3-1 to beat GS. That's how much love he had for Kobe.

it's been downright disorienting. I keep thinking of the final moments before the crash and what he and his daughter were experiencing and its fucking soul crushing.

celebrity deaths rarely fuck he up personally, and if they do, not like this.

>I keep thinking of the
>final moments before the crash and what he and his daughter
>were experiencing and its fucking soul crushing.

airplane accidents in general really fuck me up

Gianna's teammate Alyssa and reportedly both her parents

https://twitter.com/Complex/status/1221588406557343744

Of all the headlines you could possibly see in your lifetime. Holy fuck man.

This much. MJ, Prince, that’s kinda it. But this feels so different. It’s still surreal he’s gone.

Fuck.

Willie Winguy. Grinch shoes. 62 in 3. 81. 5. The fashion shoot. Money Man’s hate. The 81 post where LAB called him the best ever. Game 4 vs Phoenix. The FTs after the Achilles. “Si si ME GUSTA” after getting Pau. The Kobe face. Mamba Out. 60. The stretch of 50 and 60 point games.

Motherfuck.

I’m gonna miss this dude.

few public figures succeed on such a level that they inhabit the realm where they're a metaphor by themselves, but Kobe resides there. He holds a unique, singular place in my mind about what he represents about sports, basketball, and society. I was stunned to hear the news today and saddened by what was lost.

Weirdly, a friend was in from out of town and we had tickets to see the Blazers play the Pacers. Wiped tears after the 24/8 second tribute, saw Damian hang 50. I'm sure I'll remember this day for a long, long time.

I'm with Jeselnik in that there's a certain selfishness in the "thoughts and prayers" tribute, but I've spent a lot of today thinking about what adds value to our lives, and naturally I thought of this board in connection. Hopefully someday we'll have a thread where we talk shit comparing the Kobe and Tupac murals against each other.

RIP

He was getting better with age, so sad

...

and yellow, all the tributes at the Grammys

He was a real cultural icon and I loved watching him play and stanning for him on these boards

I remember yelling at some poor older woman at a bar in the Bronx when it was game 7 against the celtics, she was yelling "KOBE WHO??? KOBE WHO???"

and I was like "KOBE FUCKIN BRYANT!" like respect that man

Man my lil step sis texted me last night because part of her acculturation and assimilation to the United States when she moved here was watching the Lakers with my dad. To her Kobe and the Lakers were synonymous with her new country.

I learned to appreciate Kobe more and more as his career came to a close, and was a big fan after basketball...So sad..i'm still stunned. ..Hug yo kids today

>I learned to appreciate Kobe more and more as his career came
>to a close, and was a big fan after basketball...So sad..i'm
>still stunned. ..Hug yo kids today


I couldn't have said this any better and it's exactly how I feel.

now I cant wait to say....(insert player) youll never be Kobe...

these niggas more interested in showing up to the game in boot cut comfort stretch jeans and crossbody purses than they are about destroying their opponent.

i cant believe some of these people exist in real life.

"nobody fucks with Kobe", especially in those wonderful times when Shaq was shipped out, prior to (MV)Pau Gasol joining the Lakers.

the reaction from the players is so real though. the NBA players especially fucked with him. the living GOATs. Cheese Eyes, even. The coaches fucked with him.

You clearly see the "asshole" side was very much an on court act.

But to see players like Kyrie, DeMar, Trae, and Quinn Cook -- all guys who idolized him deal with this in real time... taking it ROUGH.

that Quinn Cook thing really fucked me up. apparently he was a die hard Laker/Kobe fan... who found himself on the Lakers. He went to Staples with the fans with a Kobe jersey in hand, grieving.

Kobe on ESPN yesterday

But yeah, some young players are really crushed.

I would venture that for the majority of us on here, Kobe's career spanned the transition from adolescence into adulthood and beyond. A lot of us literally grew up with this dude. THAT's why it's hitting so hard. His career also began when the internet was just getting its legs and ended with social media firing on all cylinders, both of which chronicled his triumphs and missteps. He became one of the most accessible athletes we've had.

The entrepreneur and businessman he was becoming was exciting because you had the feeling he was going to move the needle for black people in a meaningful way, nevermind the joy he was taking in fatherhood.

RIP to my second favorite player ever and fellow '78 baby.

RIP

man this is sad. I agree even more sad than a lot of other celebrity deaths in that he had no control over situation. This wasn't an overdose or anything self-inflicted. Now reports are may have just been pilot flying into fog, just could have, should have been avoided...

https://www.instagram.com/tv/B7086gCH1pT/?igshid=11z70bgim6kaa

“God forgive me for my brash delivery...” — Jay Z

Man, I’ve watched the NBA, as a fan of the Lakers, since 1979. That’s the last 40 years of my life. I’ve seen great players come and go. Not like this though. It wasn’t supposed to be like this or maybe it was. My son asked my yesterday if this was ordained. And what I could I tell him after years of professing that “It Was Written”? I had to stick to the script and do what I could to help my son process it. Anyway...

On Day 2 of this thing and I feel worse the more I crack open IG and the more I learn about how the younger inspired players are feeling. Sadly and selfishly, I won’t give much energy to how his wife and their remaining children are feeling. That would be too much pain to process and sympathize with. I’ll continue to just pray for them without giving in to that.

Y’all keep going and growing!

LOVE!

haunted me, all night. I'm already terribly spooked by aviation crashes. I couldn't catch a wink of solid sleep. It's so hurtful. Mostly all his life, he's been in control of things...and in that moment, he simply wasn't. Just sobering. I'm really bummed.

Witness describes what he saw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28QYy8lrww8

Witness said it was very cloudy and helicopter was flying in the clouds, suspects the helicopter flew straight into the hill (rather than crashing down) based on where it was flying, the sound of the impact, and the immediate silence after. He didn't hear any malfunctions on the helicopter.


Transmission from the pilot also doesn't include any distress or acknowledgement of anything gone wrong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0pQfgi9ZqU&feature=youtu.be

So hopefully there was no suffering, before or during impact.

>Witness describes what he saw:
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28QYy8lrww8
>
>Witness said it was very cloudy and helicopter was flying in
>the clouds, suspects the helicopter flew straight into the
>hill (rather than crashing down) based on where it was flying,
>the sound of the impact, and the immediate silence after. He
>didn't hear any malfunctions on the helicopter.
>
>
>Transmission from the pilot also doesn't include any distress
>or acknowledgement of anything gone wrong:
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0pQfgi9ZqU&feature=youtu.be
>
>So hopefully there was no suffering, before or during impact.


From what I heard there was some erraticness to the helicopters flight path that signaled they mightve known there was trouble.

I imagine navigating that stress with teenagers and trying to keep them calm, while stressing out yourself. But that would be a terrible last few minutes-- especially given the outcome.

I think you're right though the actual crash I dont think they even saw the mountain until it was too late.

Is that as doubly awful it is that two people they loved died like this, maybe there is some comfort in knowing that they had each other during those final moments, especially if they were moments of pure terror, especially when thinking about the children on board.

.

I had read on ESPN, last night, they said it made a sharp drop after a brief climb. I won't speculate, though.

that situation with your child and knowing there is nothing you can do. i pray for the peace, strength and comfort of those families.


peace & blessings,

x.

www.twitter.com/poetx

=========================================
I'm an advocate for working smarter, not harder. If you just
focus on working hard you end up making someone else rich and
not having much to show for it. (c) mad

Kobe came into the league in 1996, the end of my junior year in high school. But me and my boys had heard about Kobe over a year earlier. Back then, you could get Street and Smith's College Basketball Magazine, and they used to have a section dedicated to the top High School players in the country. It's where I learned about players before I ever saw them. I remember reading about Chauncey Billups, Vonteego Cummings, Samaki Walker, and many of the other players who made it to the league. Some never made it. Some became Kobe.

The blurb from street and smiths itself was short maybe 200 words max. Somehow, me and my boys in high school would still debate the players based on that 200 word description and MAYBE one highlight we had seen. One memory that resonates was in those early debates, Joe and Dustin thought his name was pronounced Kob (like the biblical character Job).

I grew up in Cerritos a suburb of LA in 79. And through the 80's the Lakers were the team. I think in the 80's they were only not the #1 seed in the west one year ('81) and won the championship 5 times. So when Kobe came onto the scene, we had "suffered" through some fun but "average teams" for most cities. (two 8th seeds, a 5th seed, and a 4th seed and a 1st round exit the year prior).

But 96-97, that was senior year -- and Kobe and Shaq joined the Lakers the summer before it started.

Kobe caught our attention with this play:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef2eQxbIuOg

And we all became fans. There was something about the way Kobe carried himself -- that brash confidence, and lack of fear of anyone of failure -- that perfectly captures that time period for us. Teens becoming young men in the world.

Over the next two decades, I followed Kobe and he was always one of my favorite players. I moved to Atlanta and then to New York. Kobe has a lot of fans around the country and world, but he also had as many detractors. You'd have to do a lot more Kobe defending when outside the Greater LA area. Don't even get me started on the Kobe debates across internet message boards. Kobe debates probably fueled the rise bunch of sports message boards, and might be one of the most polarizing basketball players in internet message board history. Its been great seeing both sides of the Kobe debate come together to honor what he meant to the game.

This one hits hard. i was hoping for a Hall of Fame speech. I was enjoying watching him be a dad to his girls. This quote from "all the smoke" brings it home

“We just had so much fun because it was the first time I was seeing the game through her eyes,” Bryant said. “It wasn’t me sitting there as an athlete or a player or something like that. … It was her — she was having such a good time.”


You all know how much I love basketball. Over the last couple years, Ive watched less, and started following jiujitsu more. I tried to start my son in basketball at 5, but he preferred soccer. He always knew about players I watched and followed, but wasn't that into basketball.

Last year, right before the summer started he told me he wanted to play basketball and give up soccer. Its been a few months, and he still isn't that good-- but steady improving-its fun seeing his joy in something I loved so much. Reading recaps, watching highlights, playing on the mini-hoop on his door (LOUDLY) long periods.

Taking him to his games, and shooting around on the court myself-- I feel so at home on a basketball court. Its a language I speak and will never forget.

What's been especially great though, is he is building hopefully lifelong friendships and learning to carry a conversation and debate through basketball. I've been teasing him about Kyrie. I heard him use my argument the other day with some friends. :)

Those same debates we used to have near our spot on the concrete by the payphones at St John Bosco High School from 1995 -1997. That's where we first heard about Kob (rhymes with Job).

To basketball. life. friendships.

RIP Kobe

I remember lowkey hating on Boss Don Kobaveli because Eddie Jones was for real my favorite Laker at the time.

But he electrified the city. Like you said, the Lakers were decent, middling team before him and Shaq (I remember the backboard shatter vid exciting everyone before he officially joined the team) made us the most hated team in basketball again.

>I remember lowkey hating on Boss Don Kobaveli because Eddie
>Jones was for real my favorite Laker at the time.

I was torn. Eddie was also my guy, and a crowd favorite at the fourum, I was bummed when they traded him, but i understood it.

as we called him.

Along with the constant elation and disappointment with the Elden/Vlade duo

lol

them along with eddie jones #6 all had single digits..senile ass chick used to get em mixed up ery night...lmao

he was still the best around even later when he would sometimes call Shaq Kareem and shit like that. But you could still listen to Chick on the radio and feel like you were watching. We used to mute the tv and put the radio on sometimes during nationally televised games

>them along with eddie jones #6 all had single digits..senile
>ass chick used to get em mixed up ery night...lmao

Ant, Sedale.. even the pre Phil Jackson growing pains era when we traded Ced for Horry then got Shaq. losing to the Sonics and Jazz so much was so frustrating but they were still good days because you knew we were on the rise.

and if i couldn't watch, if i wasn't listening to chick on the radio, i was setting the vhs. Or both.

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

had to dust off my login this morning thinking about how much entertainment I had here reading about Kobe. So many great, passionate battles. Just awful, completely awful.

This one hits different

Much love to all of you!


@rob_starrk

...logging back in, even if it's under such terrible circumstances. Hope everyone is well.

I have a ball with Kobe, Bibby, Sjack, Rip and Jermaine Oneal from that game
man this is so hard

..I'm not in denial, but the last 24 hrs have been a bit surreal.

I've edited this reply fifty-leven times © Lil' John.

Kobe Bean Bryant, thank you for inspiring greatness in others.

Peace to all the families involved in this tragedy.

Lakers for Life.






*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

Between the woke-masters trying to use this as an opportunity to go viral - not even allowing Kobe and his family 24 hours to grieve without bringing up the *alleged* rape case - to people going at LeBron for this - to just overall callousness and lack of any semblance of empathy - it’s been disgusting fam.

So glad that at least here - we all are rallying together to mourn a legend - whether we were fans or not. I actually feel cheated in that Kobe seemed poised to deliver a second act unlike any we’ve seen from a retired GOAT.

As an Italian - I will long miss his eloquence, dynamic global citizenry, multi-lingual ability (fluent in Italian and Spanish) and the high/end intellectualism he brought to everything he did.

Can’t imagine the pain his family is dealing with.

-->

Wait how the fuck is Lebron responsible?

Ive seen the conspiracy theory threads on "The powers" being responsible because Kobe was becoming "too big" with his venture capital fund..

Direct Quote:
"What happens when you threaten to become.. too big.

Billionaire venture capitalists don't die by accident. And helicopter crashes involving them are more rare than Haley's comet."


But Lebron?

.

Of course - none of us are privy to any information that could validate them - especially just hours after the event. The hysteria and twisted narratives are becoming more and more widespread. In a very weird way, reality is becoming malleable in a society where facts are optional.

But re: Bron - just look at the IG comments on his page in his most recent post. Everything from talking about how “knew” of his death beforehand because of his interview after the Philly game to Bron being “happy” that Kobe is no longer around to make his GOAT claim to the standard Illuminati ritual theories.
-->

you don't seem to like what you see.

there's really only one way to fix that.

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

This is the trope we know of both, but it was cool to read from AI

https://twitter.com/JClarkNBCS/status/1221858114909167618/photo/1

If we wouldve said he was going to TGI Fridays instead of the club though , I wouldve lost it

I had never seen this before.



Almost feels like the interview could be taking place today in a weird way.
But yea, it was LA traffic and his desire to do all the things well (basketball, family) that led him to use helicopters in the first place


https://streamable.com/ph3d1

I'm sure it was bad in a lot of places. I've seen countless people talk about how much they'd respected and loved Kobe more in retirement and in retrospect, and I'm sure the national news was wall to wall Kobe yesterday....but in LA, it felt like a piece of the city died, man.

LAX lit up in purple and gold.
Downtown LA lit up in purple and gold.
A bike ride of fans down Melrose.
Staples as a memorial, on the day of the Grammys no less.
Newport Beach has a memorial.
Calabasas has a memorial.

Watching local news anchors cry uncontrollably on the air, because they lost not only a beloved figure, but someone they'd interviewed and grown to know over decades.

I don't think anybody feels like being at work today. I know I don't.

picked up 4 papers not even knowing the price...get to the counter they are $2.75 ea. I only had the $10 on me...it came out to $12 something...the lady took the $10 and goes.."You take 1 for Kobe"....like whoa...dam near teared up...

Normally when you see THIS much, it means they just won a title. People are usually happy, greeting each other, high fiving. A few weeks after the '10 finals I was in Vegas wearing a Laker shirt and this old dude yells at me from across the casino, "WE GOT EM MAN! FINALLY, WE GOT EM!"

This is obviously nothing like that.

At best, you've got nods.

I walked by the Palladium to grab lunch and they've got RIP Kobe & Gigi on the marquee and it just all feels so incredibly wrong.

I wanted to go watch the game tomorrow somewhere. Now it's postponed, but man what an insane, insane feeling of emptiness.

Being from Chicago ( and a little bit of Brooklyn), I grew up watching a player that showcased an athletic and basketball ability that transcended anything that had ever been performed in sports. That player was Michael Jordan, and throughout the years on this board, I was one of the Jordan gatekeepers who would respectfully, but vehemently , verbally battle anyone who tried to put Kobe or any other player on the same platform as your air’ness.


Before Kobe, Lakers hate didn’t exist. Kobe is the reason why lakers hate came about. People used to love the lakers, solely because of Magic Johnson. Magic’s charisma, wholesomeness, laughter, and that bright, kool aid smile made it impossible to root against the lakers.


Magic retires. The Lakers go into a dull period, and then Kobe comes along. Immediately, Bulls fans saw the similarities. We saw the emulation. We saw Kobe walk like Jordan, talk like Jordan, and most of all play like Jordan. Before Kobe, there were a plethora of players who were labeled to be the next Michael Jordan, from Harold Miner to Grant Hill, and Jordan fans laughed at those expectations. However, with Kobe, he actually looked and played like Michael Jordan. It was a shocking revelation, and when he started winning championships and scoring titles like Jordan, it went from comparing Kobe to Jordan to Kobe possibly being better than Jordan. And that , my friends, is when Bulls fans had enough. Lakers and Kobe hate was born. And to add injury to insult, Kobe even lost his hair like Jordan, so there is a pre-bald Kobe period vs Kobe bald period, just like there is a pre-bald Jordan period vs bald Jordan period. He even played under the same coach, and played next to a player similar to Scottie Pippen in Lamar Odom. “ Does this dude have anything that’s original?”


After the lakers won their third championship during the Kobe era, everyday felt like a battle to protect jordan’s legacy. Everything was about Kobe, even to the point that the lakers decided to trade Shaq so that Kobe could have his own team. The basketball universe was changing, and we were clearly in the age of Kobe, and the NBA was finally able to move on from the void of Michale Jordan. It wasn’t a great period for bulls fans.


I didn’t want to see anything regarding the lakers or Kobe, and when the rape allegations came about, I was like “see, this dude is a bad character.” I was also hoping that was the end of Kobe and the comparison. I mean this dude even had a controversial period in his life just like Jordan, so how much of jordan’s life was he going to emulate? His entire life? So when the world turned on Kobe, and his image was adulterated, I stopped worrying about jordan’s Throne being challenged.


The rape allegations get dropped, and Kobe goes through somewhat of a quiet period in the media, and he just focuses on basketball. It is during this period where he goes on a scoring spree, another action similar to Jordan. This guy starts dropping 40 and 50 a game, and then he goes and have the 2nd most prolific scoring game off all time. And, of course, the “better than Jordan” argument resurfaces.


Kobe gets another shot at winning his 4th title, and throughout that entire series I woke up everyday hoping the lakers would lose, because lakers fans were beyond insufferable at that point. It was a great day in the universe when the Celtics beat the Lakers, and Kobe went out like a scrub. Bulls fans finally had the deciding and final word: “ Jordan never went out like that, and Jordan is 6-0 in championships.” And once again Jordan’s legacy was on top, and to never be challenged again....so we thought.


The following year the lakers came back as the Euro Lakers, and stronger than ever. Kobe goes on to win his 4th title, and the Jordan comparisons resurface, again! But bulls fans still had the upper hand: 6 rings and undefeated in championships! We good!
The lakers return to the finals the following season, and Kobe goes on to win his 5th title! WTF! Could this dude possibly win 6 rings? We will never hear the end of this if he wins 6 titles. I can honestly say that all of bulls nation was on emergency watch. The okay message board at that time was on full battle tilt.


However, the following year the lakers failed, and Kobe never returned to the finals again. Victory at last! Lakers nation finally realized that there is only one goat. Lakers hate went away and the universe was restored. Kobe retired and the lakers returned to mediocrity ( lol).


( Hopefully, in those statements, you get an understanding of just how great Kobe was...He wouldn’t go away).


After he retired, my view of Kobe was that he would probably be just like Jordan: Anal, narcissistic, arrogant, etc. However, it was quite the opposite. He was a caring, loving family man, got involved in film making and investments, and went on to teach the game to his daughter and other girls. He was open and communicative, and made several tv appearances. I liked and loved Kobe off the court more than I did on the court. He transitioned into an outstanding human being, and a person that I cheered and rooted for. He became a big brother and friend to so many young nba basketball players , and they loved him for it. To see so many nba players cry and show grief over his death is breathtaking, and the great stories they have of him is a testament of his humanness and approachable character.


He didn’t surpass Jordan on the basketball court, but he sure did surpass Jordan in personality and humanness. I’m going to miss that more than anything. I truly believe that Kobe and his daughter were going to change the WNBA.

thanks

The news itself was shocking. And to learn that Gianna passed was heartbreaking. Thinking about how Vanessa has to grieve the loss of her love in her husband along with the loss of her daughter while also mothering three children through what could be the most challenging bend in their life had me speechless.

Like someone else said, Kobe's career and ascent was hand-in-hand with my own and other's maturity from childhood into adulthood. It was fun to see the brash, over-confident rook, break into realizing his outlandish goal to be one the best to ever play. As a Lakers' fan his success was even sweeter to take part in.

As he aged and his youthful daring soured a bit from failure and career disappointment, it mirrored my own awkward steps away the zeal young people have towards life when entering their twenties and the cynicism and saltiness that comes from life pushing back against growth.

I won't talk about his case, but it was the gauntlet that set up his true heroism and transition from villain to champion, not only professionally but in his personal life.

Without it, he's likely not able to humble himself to fully dedicate to his family, or at least not as quickly. And professionally he wouldn't have been as flexible to take a talented but untested team to two championships which cemented him as an all-time great.

He was able to transform from someone who overlooked all of life in the pursuits of greatness and found that greatness can be minding all of the details up to the accomplishment, especially those moments with loved ones. That's something I've tried to pattern my life after.

My favorite memory of Kobe the basketball player wasn't actually a game he performed well. It was the Game 7 of the '10 Finals. He almost shot the team out of the game through three quarters. In his defense, no one outside of Metta played well.

But his steady play, deference to Metta when he had it going, and willingness to do everything else besides score that night really spoke to me about how much winning a championship was to him. He was willing to sacrifice his numbers, and glory, to reach the teams, and his end goal.

It was heartening to see him age into retirement as well as he progressed as a basketball player during his career. His success gives me a sense that the second half of life can yield new moments of success and actualization.

It's odd to think that someone who is one of the top fifteen players to play in what is probably the most exclusive sports league in history didn't have a chance to fully tap their potential, but I think Kobe didn't seem to view reality and its challenges in the same way that causes many of us seem to. He saw a mountain and thought, 'Why not?' I mean he won an Oscar before he was 40 and his Detail show on ESPN+ is truly original and one of a kind. Who's to say that with another ten or fifteen years that he would have truly found his voice as a filmmaker and artist? He could have had an equally impactful period of time touching the lives and motivating others as he did in his playing career.

He also was a notable champion for women's basketball. He featured Diana Turasi on an episode of Detail and tweeting many complimentary tweets to great and notable players who are women. It would have been interesting to see how he would have repped women's basketball given that Gianna was apparently talented. Part of me wonders if he would have served as Commissioner of the WNBA.

Hearing the tributes from not only across the basketball world and the nation but the world, is heartening. A Facebook friend of mine who lives in the UK and doesn't seem to be an NBA fan posted stories from a random religious zine about Kobe's Catholicism and how he leaned on his faith while navigating his trial in Colorado.

Not to get political and I'm clearly not saying anything new, but there's so much pulling cultures and nations apart and to revere someone, a Black man at that, and their additions to culture, isn't worth overlooking to me. Also, to hear folks talk, Dan LeBatard in particular, say that they called friends and family to make peace with them reflects how even in death Kobe's legacy calls us to be better people.

Back to Kobe the human being, it's tough to think about how his passing is going to affect his children and now widowed wife. Thankfully, his children will have access to the best care available and hopefully will get counsel about the best and most productive ways to handle their grief. I hope they can tap into the tenacity and strength their father and husband displayed through his time with them.

Seeing him pass is a hard break in life's rhythm. It's unfair and unnecessarily harsh. It's another mark on the timeline that childhood and its joys have ended. But I think that helps us recall how special those times were and what a gift they were.

Just too raw right now. Got together with my cousin yesterday and we just sat there talking about it. It’s just constant waves of disbelief and sadness. I’ve been through a shock like this before when a good family friend committed suicide but it never gets easier.

With the Clippers game being postponed (right decision...for example, I know a patient who knows Bron and said dude is completely inconsolable right now), I’ll actually be at the first game on Friday vs Portland. I don’t even know how to feel about that

I've thought about a lot of people and how this has affected them, and you shot to the top of that list.

I'm sure some other fanbases feel the same but I genuinely feel like I know the Laker fans on this board. I'm sure you're going through it right now, so stay up dude.

very uneasy. Like on one hand I was excited to on hand for something historic, even under such sad circumstances, but on the other hand it seemed like it would be harrowing to have to talk about it with all these guys. i was in medellin when the chapecoense crash happened and went to the memorial, i also worked the story a bit but never had to talk to any victims. there were a couple guys i knew personally on the yaroslav plane that went down. obviously some guys you think will never die, but they do, like wilt and gordie howe. but this just seems ... different. i dunno. i guess there will be kind of a buffer between the accident and the portland game, but it feels like not enough of one.

I just feel like leaving the room

As a Spurs/Philly fan, he was the arch nemesis, but deep down I always had a TON of respect for him. The guy lived and breathed basketball and gave so much to the sport. More importantly, he grew as a husband, father, and overall person. I honestly can't recall a loss (of an athlete) in my lifetime of this magnitude. His impact was far reaching and he had so much more in life to accomplish.

As a father, especially to a girl, this really hits hard. It just doesn't seem fair that a guy who was so invested in his kids lives and helping others can be taken away so young.

I was hit pretty hard by Dilla's death but this is more of a mystifying and enduring feeling. Even though I'd come around on him more since his the very end of his career, I wouldn't have believed you if you'd have told me I'd feel this type of way about his loss.

Part of it is that the story just kept getting more horrible. Five dead. Then his daughter among them. Nine dead. Then another young woman among them. Then his other daughter having asthma complications. Seeing everyone's reaction.

But that's not it. This was a guy who was brilliant, who was fascinating and who really couldn't disappoint if you disliked him but loved basketball. If he failed, you could revel in that. If he succeeded, you were treated to a delightful performance.

I posted some longer thoughts on Facebook earlier today. But now I feel like I'm back in the space I was yesterday, where I'm just stunned and confused and sad.

My heart really goes out to his two middle kids, losing their dad and their oldest sister like that. That's just not right or fair or believable.

and refunds orders. They are evaluating how to proceed, but trying to prevent gouging in the secondary market. Just perusing eBay, as I do regularly...looking at the Kobe 11, specifically (my favorite Kobe shoe and probably second favorite Nike shoe, period)...it’s already happening. Fuck people, man.

this seems like an overreaction.

i mean...after any famous death...demand for their merch is gonna pick up.

the best way to prevent people from price gouging on the secondary market is to make sure the products are available on the primary market.

seems like itd be a lot easier to just increase supply to meet demand instead of just shutting all sales down.

maybe im missing something tho.

I’d imagine some of the decision is purely emotional. He worked closely with the development team on his shoes and gear. I can only think this was the best way for them to think it through. Refunding people’s money who had already ordered is a lot, though. As a sneaker head and fan of Kobe, it does piss me off to see all these listings with like...a pair of Kobe 11s, no box for $900 or some shit. Then you look at the details and it says “ Last updated on January 26 2020”.

whoever said different made it up.

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisettevoytko/2020/01/28/nike-and-some-resellers-reportedly-suspend-kobe-bryant-merch-sales-to-limit-profiteering/#6600b5b477e2

but like y'all said it wouldn't make sense for them to pull it.

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

but making everyone else play, including the day it happened, is a super wack handling of the situation.

>but making everyone else play, including the day it happened,
>is a super wack handling of the situation.

they couldn’t shut down the entire league, we lost an all-time great but it’s not 9/11. Cancelling and rescheduling multiple games would be a logistical nightmare on multiple levels.

they absolutely could have canceled them joints. I saw a clip where Wil Barton was literally telling Jamal Murray what happened...as they were waking out on the floor for warmups. I understand the “Kobe would have wanted them to play” sentiment. I do...and I agree. But, these dudes were hurt. Tyson Chandler sobbing on the bench, Devin Booker standing on the court crying at tip-off, Mike Breen saying he didn’t feel like broadcasting...during the live broadcast. Them dudes deserved time to grieve something that sudden and shocking. I’m not even saying cancel days or a week...but Sunday, without a full slate of games would have been perfect, IMO.

god forbid they play and show alot of emotion on court...can't have that! Let's cancel and pretend everyone will feel better in a day or two!

..everyone handles tragedies in their own way.

Cancelling games isn't as simple as some people seem to think. The league decided to move forward with Sunday's schedule (in lieu of a logistical nightmare), while allowing any player to sit without penalty.

Most players decided to play.

The Lakers/Clippers match-up was postponed at the request of the Lakers (rare). Thankfully, the Clippers & the league office honored that request without issue.

Debating the merits of this decision in the middle of an RIP thread is in very poor taste when the entire league already gave their blessing.

definitely didn’t intend this to be a debate. I thought we were more just hashing out our feelings about things. Please feel free to delete my reply.

I hate The Lakers. And that hate was born in that 00-02 championship run. That Blazer squad was my favorite at the time, and then that Kings squad in the years following. I was in high school at the time, and as I grew more mature in my watching of the game, I hated Kobe's volume shooting. Hated the way he treated teammates (I see you Smush lol). I could not have been happier when the Pistons one that title. When the Celtics one that title. I remember trying to go out to the club the night the Lakers won in '09 with my roommate and both of us were so down, we couldn't even enjoy ourselves. Once his career was winding down though, that hate subsided. I made sure to go watch his last game at the Target Center, because you couldn't deny the guy was a legend of the game. In retirement, I actually really came to like Kobe. Without that hate clouding my eyes, I was really drawn to his intellect. Listening to him breakdown the game on that Details series was endlessly fascinating to me and I was really interested in him going into commentating at some point. I was shocked that I had truly began to like someone I had spent so many years hating.

Hearing of his death was absolutely shocking. The flurry of texts between me and my friends as news was breaking is something I won't soon forget. At first, I thought it had to have been an Onion type article. LeBron passes Kobe, Kobe can't go on. And then I saw it was TMZ. But the servers had to have been overloaded or something because the page was down. Then smaller and local news outlets started picking it up... but all with the still down TMZ as their source. It had to be a mistake. That's why the page was down. And as the news was confirmed my first thought was those poor (Bryant) girls. And then it came out that Gianna was on the helicopter as well.

Learning about Kobe was flooring. But Gigi... man that shit gutted me. That's what I'm most torn up about. In all those years I spent hating Kobe, seeing his family, his girls, always brought a smile to my face. We watched those kids grow up between the press conferences post-game with them on his lap, climbing all over him, to them sitting courtside, and seeing Kobe go straight to them or them running straight to him after the big wins. Seeing Gianna come into her own over the past months and seeing the bond they shared had been so beautiful. For her life to be cut short at 13... that shit just ain't fair.

I can't imagine what this is like for Vanessa and Natalia. Peace to both of them. Peace to the babies as well. Peace to everyone involved. I feel bad that I don't have much to say for them, because their lives are just as meaningful. Such a fucking tragedy.

over time I grew to like who he was and what he meant to the game.

This news hurt me. Maybe it’s because I have 2 girls but it knocked me down hard.

Maybe it’s his age?

Not sure but this hurts more than Prince and I love Prince.

I think it’s because even tho he reached heights as a player it still felt like he had a lot more chapters let in his book.

maybe a couple weeks

Kobe will be for like all of 2020

Not fucked up in the same way, but just reflective

Day 1 fucked me up but where I could just listen to a gang of Prince every day to get it out of my system, I can't do the same for Kobe.

I tried to watch some of his last game last night (I had that shit DVR'd for 2 years, my wife had to force me to delete the shit) and it was like what's the point. I like watching footage of him on the sideline talking to players, or with his daughter, much more right now.

I don’t know why but I just had vibes like he had a grand scheme to lift women’s basketball to new levels through his daughter. I was actually at the meadowlands when he got drafted, I was sitting next to some old timers who kept saying to go pro from high school you needed to be a big man and that Kobe at best would be a sixth man

I havent posted here in years. I use to be regular...There was always so much Kobe back and I had to come back and visit. Its crazy to see so many people here.


I loved Kobe...Its crazy this man I never knew had tears flowing.


RIP to My GOAT..

That photo of mike and kobe just shows how much Kobe wanted to be like mike and better than Mike. You can tell he was just soaking up so much info from Mike, and wanted answers for everything.

Reggie Miller just told a story how every time he saw young Kobe, Kobe would constantly ask him about how was it like to guard Mike, and that he wanted every little detail about every move and shot. Reggie was like what’s wrong this kid, and didn’t really take him seriously.

It reminds me so much of Kanye ( but without the craziness of Kanye of course), on how people didn’t take Kanye seriously when he first got into the music business, and he was constantly telling people on how great he was going to be. However, people just ignored him.

Kobe just like Kanye didn’t let anyone or anything get in his way...he just kept learning and learning , and never stopped his pursuance until his body gave out.

Dude didnt come into the league like lebron, magic or Mike , being somewhat crowned before stepping on the court. Hornets didn’t know what they had, and when he was traded to the lakers he rode the bench for 2 years. Dude had to really start from the bottom. Out of all the great nba superstars, his nba road was possibly the toughest.

Phil called him uncoachable, people blamed him for the shaq feud, there was hate from all corners, but this dude never faltered.

Just an amazing journey when you sit and look at his legacy, and at how hard he worked.

I'm done watching this stuff for a minute, man.

Hulu has a Kobe Bryant special up. I was about to watch it, then said fuck it and turned off the TV.

The personal Kobe anecdotes have been wonderful, and the stories that Jerry West shared blew me away. They had such a great togetherness.

However, Charles is just so insensitive to me regarding this, or maybe I’m just reading into it too much. But I didn’t like his comments regarding the games have to go on because it’s not going to get better, and that is what would make him feel better. This is going to take time to heal, so there is no time limit.

However, I noticed Shaq didn’t speak much because he is truly broken up. This was before the game. But after the game, they all seem a little bit more cheerful, which is good to see.

Disconnected, processed, and got myself mentally ready for that tribute. Hard to watch but necessary.

felt when Rick replied to his text...mannnnn.

As someone else said, he was THE TRAFFIC on this board from 01-10.

I think it's his journey that has us so fucked up. If he died during his career, it would be different. Appreciation for the assassin and stone cold killer. More like B.I.G., who was taken at 24 and Pac at 25. I remember hearing The Game on People's Party with Kweli talking about how amazing it would have been if those dudes had just made it to 30 and how different everything would have been, with time to grow up and mature.

That's what Kobe did, he grew up and matured before our eyes, WITH us though. He had kids, we've had kids. He got involved in their activities, we've been/become more involved in our kids' activities. He became more relatable over the past 5 years because WE COULD NOT DO what the fuck he did on the court. But we do do what he does in the house and at school, etc.

I only learned over the past few days that he was a regular helicopter rider and that his main motivation was (motherfucking) LA traffic, and not letting it prevent him from basketball or his family. That part really fucks me up. Helicopter safety will forever be looked at differently. Reminds me of the plane crash that killed Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper.

Tragedy and death, even in split second unexpected circumstances, are routine and frequent. It was BECAUSE the most famous life lost seemed to have so much yet to accomplish, and the bond forged with the public who has watched him, that this is hitting so hard. And the HOF ceremony is going to be SOME SHIT.

But in time, this will be one of those moments we tell grandkids (or our kids will tell their kids and grandkids) about, where most of the conversation will be about what he did on that damn court and what he was about to do in that other LA industry, before he left too soon.

No message

No message

No message

but that's nearly impossible and you can't help but get drawn in.

The details of the crash that have been released thus far by the NTSB and other sources are really curious. It seems like the pilot having a massive heart attack or some other sudden medical issue is the only logical explanation.

>The details of the crash that have been released thus far by
>the NTSB and other sources are really curious. It seems like
>the pilot having a massive heart attack or some other sudden
>medical issue is the only logical explanation.

cause I wasn't sure if it was the appropriate place for that...

but yes, the whole thing is a bit difficult to make sense of and really seemed avoidable.

in that same helicopter. “Great guy, super nice, He was one of the best pilots. That is a guy who you ask for to fly you from city to city. It’s just surreal still.”

Its too much for me to absorb right now. I'm normally into the details of crashes, so I'll def stay away from that side. I haven't even read all the post here, but happened to catch yours.

my dog was named Kobe. Had to put down late last year. so, I'm a mess right now.

It was simply a matter of weather conditions and how those weather conditions were acted on by the pilot. I wouldn't call it human error, in the sense of being incompetent or not knowing how to perform as a pilot. But the circumstances or conditions that they were flying in made for a complex situation, where the pilot had issues navigating properly.

- The Helicopter was not equipped with a terrain warning system which was confirmed. The system would have alerted the pilot that it was approaching a hill. However, based on information from a pilot who used to be Kobe's pilot, even with the alert system, he still wouldn't have been able to avoid the hill or other bigger hills that were along the flight path.

- The Helicopter agency was a VFR ( Visual Flight Rules) and not an IFR ( Instrumental Flight Rules) agency. However, the pilot was licensed for both, but even though he was licensed for both, it does not appear he had a lot of experience with IFR. So when he couldn't get assistance from a nearby flight tower for VFR, because he was flying too low, he probably switched to IFR and got into an aerial issue with that, or felt uncomfortable with IFR and tried to get out of it. He immediately descended to avoid a cloud layer, and that is when he flew into the hill. It was descending at 2000 feet per minute.Right before the crash he told flight tower that he was trying to avoid a cloud layer.

- Also, it's not unusual for commercial helicopters to fly through fog. Medical and law enforcement agencies have different standards and flight regulations due to having patients, etc on board. This was all stated by Kobe's former pilot.

Kobe was a frequent helicopter flier, and the pilot was a good pilot, who kobe had flown with before, and Kawhi even vouched for the pilot.

Helicopter accidents or crashes are extremely rare. We don't know what the conversations or perceptions were prior to the flight. Did the pilot feel he could get through it, was he insistent about it?. Did he want to turn around? Was Kobe insistent on getting to the game asap, etc, etc? We don't know and will never know.

So no one can be blamed or targeted. Just an unfortunate situation, which will be used to create safer rules and regulations with Heli.flying.

everything you just typed out I have already read and seen the news reports.

The whole thing is just weird. This pilot had flown Kobe and other celebs threw this area almost every day for years. You’d think he’d know the terrain and what to do and what not to do in any weather. It’s not like it’s the first time there was fog in LA.

Other helicopter pilots that they’ve interviewed that knew him, knew the terrain, and were familiar with the aircraft have ruled out what didn’t happen, but have all stopped short of speculating what they think did happen, they just say “I wasn’t there.”

I just try to be careful with that, like the first paragraph you just typed could be perceived as blaming.

But I understand what you're saying.

to me, I just see it as a visibility issue where he got caught in a sudden cloud layer, and couldn't see, descended fast to get out of it ( maybe he saw hills approaching) , and then hit the hill. That makes the most sense to me.

But as we both have stated, we don't know. However,we are all going to wreck our brains trying to figure it out.....just human nature.

>I just try to be careful with that, like the first paragraph
>you just typed could be perceived as blaming.
>
>But I understand what you're saying.
>
>to me, I just see it as a visibility issue where he got caught
>in a sudden cloud layer, and couldn't see, descended fast to
>get out of it ( maybe he saw hills approaching) , and then hit
>the hill. That makes the most sense to me.
>
>But as we both have stated, we don't know. However,we are all
>going to wreck our brains trying to figure it out.....just
>human nature.

not really trying to blame anybody just trying to make sense of it all. I’m still trying to figured why Tupac had to die and that’s been over 20 years ago. That was the last celebrity death that hit me really hard. And we only really had Tupac for about 5 years, we had Kobe for 25.

>
>to me, I just see it as a visibility issue

he was a highly skilled and experienced pilot...that's not a question.

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

on tv have said.

Good. We need to out these journalists who do this


Everybody gotta be first

>Good. We need to out these journalists who do this
>
>
>Everybody gotta be first

Not to say he shouldn't be held accountable, but he could appreciate the situation more than most and wasn't just glory hounding. He lost his dad in a plane crash when he was really young.

I think TMZ breaking the news before authorities had a chance to notify families is much worse. Vanessa damn sure knew which kids were in the copter and which weren't. She did not however know that her husband and child were dead until TMZ dropped it. It's disturbing the lengths to which they go to make it their business to be all up in others'.

That movie "Nightcrawler" frequently comes to mind. The sensationalist nature of media culture has shifted from reporting news to breaking it.

Watching it live as it happened, his remarks were quite bothersome.

But given the big picture enormity of the situation it seemed like people didn’t care much about it and it was forgotten. Apparently not.

and even personally knowing so many super fans of his, following his career closely, watching how big his retirement tour was, I still feel like I didn't truly grasp just how huge Kobe was until Sunday.

Part of it could be i was in my 20s when Kobe entered the league, and Magic and Jordan were my childhood icons. I still watched way more games during Kobe's career than back then. Made me realize just how much his name comes up in damn near every NBA conversation I have with friends. Friends and I were talking about him on Saturday night. Still I'm even surprised by my own reaction and how personally fucked up i am over this. There really has never been a celebrity death that has come close to this on a personal level.

Also, since he's such a public figure there are so many clips of him and Ginanna hanging out, they were clearly so close and such good buddies that part of me is almost glad they went together to spare each other the pain of losing the other.

I've talked to a number of pro athletes about this in the past few days and also people in other aspects of the industry. In some cases there's been a very real pain to their comments, in others it's just been disbelief. I am kind of in the second category, though it did sting to see the memorial at L.A. Live and the people there with such heavy hearts.

On one hand, the reaction has been overwhelming. I'd be hard-pressed to think of another instance of this type of reaction for a sports star or, frankly, anyone in my lifetime in the United States. Maybe in South America (the deaths of Evita Peron, Elis Regina, Pablo Escobar and perhaps Andres Escobar), but in the States where we've got so fucking many famous people? No one.

On the other hand, the more reaction I see and the more discussion I hear, I don't know, the less it feels like something that actually happened. It's just surreal. The fact that a guy who elevated through and hung in mid-air falling out of the sky, the guy who matured and became so much more human and let his light shine in recent years just being snuffed out. It feels too cruel, too strange, almost fictional.

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

ahis pod from this past Tuesday and he summed up perfectly, how I feel...it stings, really bad...and it’s just deeply painful and confusing.

that shit hurt me to my soul.

Like...when’s the last time a Famous person died in a fucking aviation accident?

>Like...when’s the last time a Famous person died in a
>fucking aviation accident?

.

it really feels like someone meddled w/ the timeline and cause something imperceivably horrible and bizarre to happen.

I'll forget about it for a few and every time I'm reminded I'm in shock all over again

.

in his book he tells a crazy story about being on a small plane with maybe four people and the weather was so bad that as they had to make an emergency landing, the windshield froze over completely leaving the pilot blinded. there was a dime-size aperture in the ice that he ended up peering through in order to successfully land the plane. imagine going through that as a blind man. crazy.

shit happens more with musicians because they are more often on smal planes with gigs to get to. i guess not super common with athletes. halladay was a weird situation, his own little plane.

but i think it just feels weird to think about kobe in particular and to see the overflow of reaction. this is like princess diana or something, really wild.

i had to take one out of the airport near penn state and we were told we had to reshuffle our seating to make the weight more even.

kinda hard not to shit yourself when you know your body weight could fuck up the flight lol.

>in his book he tells a crazy story about being on a small
>plane with maybe four people and the weather was so bad that
>as they had to make an emergency landing, the windshield froze
>over completely leaving the pilot blinded. there was a
>dime-size aperture in the ice that he ended up peering through
>in order to successfully land the plane. imagine going through
>that as a blind man. crazy.
>
>shit happens more with musicians because they are more often
>on smal planes with gigs to get to. i guess not super common
>with athletes. halladay was a weird situation, his own little
>plane.
>
>but i think it just feels weird to think about kobe in
>particular and to see the overflow of reaction. this is like
>princess diana or something, really wild.

As more information comes out showing how avoidable/preventable this accident was.

it's really upsetting and the helicopter was considered to be a normal mode of
transportation.

One by one, parent after parent you can see the shock on their face as they learn the news by phone and whispers. One lady screamed "Oh My God..No!" By this time the news has reached the field as coaches and refs hear the news.... all play has stopped. Kids are gathered with each other, coaches and refs are looking at their phones. 20-25mins later play resumed but some parents have pulled their kids from the game. NO ONE had flag football on their mind. Game ended early as another parent pulls their kid from the field. Whats the score? Who knows...

No make up game to this day...sad day

after I check and recheck and confirm and make sure I'm on the right site, I'm like "tmz says kobe died in a helicopter crash"

and she responds "kobe who?"

now my wife doesn't pay attention to sports at all but she knows who the fuck kobe bryant is.

she just couldn't believe it.

neither could I, really


www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

A wave of silence moves over the store. Everyone I walked past was on the phone or just saying “this can’t be real”

someone at work sent this to me, a nice clip of two HS teammates reuniting, it put a smile on my face

thought id share in case others hadnt seen it


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuS-PwntPdw

https://youtu.be/npZYUkXFqd4

I've seen all of the basketball-related connections with Kobe and Gianna's numbers, etc...

But realizing that Kobe was drafted in 1996 and died 24 years later (2020), these numbers keep popping up. I'm don't fully understand numerology, but this this whole tragedy helps me see that numbers do matter in our lives.


...

my thoughts,

peace.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ERf8FhcXYAImj9a?format=jpg&name=small

TOs: 4+4 = 8

POINTS: both teams had 81, Bean's highest

GAME CLOCK: 2:24 - Gianna and Kobe

SHOT CLOCK: 24

i had a teary moment a few weeks ago but other than that it just feels like a hole. Not even for Kobe as a baller but as a man who died with his child. That is heartbreaking.

America has imported more warlord theocracy from Afghanistan than it has exported democracy.

No message