RIP Kobe Bryant

[flockofseagulls104]

Helicopter crash

[Bob Juch]

Kobe Bryant's 13-year-old daughter Gianna was among 5 people killed in California helicopter crash that also killed her father.

[mellytu74]

Kobe was a HS classmate of several friends (children of Boonie's friends).

We know so many people in the Philadelphia basketball community who knew him for much of his life - and his mom and dad for years and years.

RIP Kobe, Gianna and all those who died and condolences to their families.

[Bob Juch]

Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, wife and daughter die in helicopter crash with Kobe Bryant

https://www.ocregister.com/2020/01/26/o ... be-bryant/

[jarnon]

Kobe was a HS classmate of several friends (children of Boonie's friends).

We know so many people in the Philadelphia basketball community who knew him for much of his life - and his mom and dad for years and years.

RIP Kobe, Gianna and all those who died and condolences to their families.

Kobe was in my son’s high school class. I saw him play a number of times. I’m devastated.

[Beebs52]

Horribly sad.

[silverscreenselect]

Absolutely shocking and so very sad.

RIP, Mamba

[Appa23]

As the father of 2 girls, with one being close in age to the victims, my heart particularly aches for the three young women whose lives ended much, much too soon, and their surviving parent.

[Bob78164]

As the father of 2 girls, with one being close in age to the victims, my heart particularly aches for the three young women whose lives ended much, much too soon, and their surviving parent.

That's kind of where I am (though without the father of two girls part, of course).

I'm a little uncomfortable with the Los Angeles media's treatment of Bryant. Even completely ignoring the incident that led to his trial and acquittal, I don't see him as having been extraordinary as a human being or a citizen. As a basketball talent, sure. But having read through the full section in today's newspaper on Bryant's death, I don't really see where he was positioning himself (as, say, Magic Johnson has done) to make extraordinary contributions to either our community or our civic life.

I'm not saying that he had any obligation to do so or that he should be criticized for how he chose to begin his retirement from professional sports. And of course, it's tragic when anyone so young and healthy dies like this, particularly when they leave a young family behind them. But I am saying the outsized treatment of Bryant's death is more reflective of our culture's fascination with celebrity than it is of Bryant himself. And that's a fascination that I really wish we could wean ourselves away from. --Bob

[Bob Juch]

It seems this was what they call a "controlled flight into terrain."

[silverscreenselect]

As the father of 2 girls, with one being close in age to the victims, my heart particularly aches for the three young women whose lives ended much, much too soon, and their surviving parent.

That's kind of where I am (though without the father of two girls part, of course).

I'm a little uncomfortable with the Los Angeles media's treatment of Bryant. Even completely ignoring the incident that led to his trial and acquittal, I don't see him as having been extraordinary as a human being or a citizen. As a basketball talent, sure. But having read through the full section in today's newspaper on Bryant's death, I don't really see where he was positioning himself (as, say, Magic Johnson has done) to make extraordinary contributions to either our community or our civic life.

I'm not saying that he had any obligation to do so or that he should be criticized for how he chose to begin his retirement from professional sports. And of course, it's tragic when anyone so young and healthy dies like this, particularly when they leave a young family behind them. But I am saying the outsized treatment of Bryant's death is more reflective of our culture's fascination with celebrity than it is of Bryant himself. And that's a fascination that I really wish we could wean ourselves away from. --Bob

My general feeling is that, except for obviously vile people (the sort who rate an RIH), these sorts of comments are inappropriate in RIP threads. But I did look up what sort of charitable activities Bryant was involved with and there's quite a few:

https://www.essence.com/feature/kobe-br ... lanthropy/

Bryant's career was not without controversy. In 2003 he was accused of sexual assault by a hotel employee in Edwards, Colorado. The criminal charges were ultimately dropped, with Bryant going on to settle a civil suit.

The accusation did little to diminish Bryant's popularity, and as the years went on, his charitable contributions and many business accomplishments served to rewrite a large part of his off-court legacy. Upon learning of Bryant's death, Barack Obama tweeted that Kobe was "just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act," and it's hard to say it any better than that.

Magic Johnson, in a thread of heartbroken tweets covering the gamut of Kobe's on- and of-court contributions, called attention to Bryant's passion for growing women's basketball. "Coaching his daughter's basketball team brought him so much happiness," Johnson wrote. That Kobe and his daughter were reportedly on their way to a game on Sunday is almost too painful to ponder.

In 2018, Bryant won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short for his six-minute film titled "Dear Basketball." That same year he published a book, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play. In 2007, Bryant founded the Kobe Bryant Basketball Academy, which aimed to train and mentor young athletes. The academy was merely the tip of a gigantic iceberg in terms of the influence Kobe had, and will continue to have, on the game of basketball and sports as a whole.

We throw around the word "legend" quite a lot these days. Kobe Bryant was, and always will be, a legend. You can feel it in the reactions on Sunday. People are devastated. Players are crying. The emotions are running deep for those that knew him, but it's the grieving of so many people who didn't know him that perhaps provides the clearest lens into the reach, and depth, of Bryant's impact.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kobe ... evastated/

[Bob78164]

As the father of 2 girls, with one being close in age to the victims, my heart particularly aches for the three young women whose lives ended much, much too soon, and their surviving parent.

That's kind of where I am (though without the father of two girls part, of course).

I'm a little uncomfortable with the Los Angeles media's treatment of Bryant. Even completely ignoring the incident that led to his trial and acquittal, I don't see him as having been extraordinary as a human being or a citizen. As a basketball talent, sure. But having read through the full section in today's newspaper on Bryant's death, I don't really see where he was positioning himself (as, say, Magic Johnson has done) to make extraordinary contributions to either our community or our civic life.

I'm not saying that he had any obligation to do so or that he should be criticized for how he chose to begin his retirement from professional sports. And of course, it's tragic when anyone so young and healthy dies like this, particularly when they leave a young family behind them. But I am saying the outsized treatment of Bryant's death is more reflective of our culture's fascination with celebrity than it is of Bryant himself. And that's a fascination that I really wish we could wean ourselves away from. --Bob

My general feeling is that, except for obviously vile people (the sort who rate an RIH), these sorts of comments are inappropriate in RIP threads. But I did look up what sort of charitable activities Bryant was involved with and there's quite a few:

https://www.essence.com/feature/kobe-br ... lanthropy/

Bryant's career was not without controversy. In 2003 he was accused of sexual assault by a hotel employee in Edwards, Colorado. The criminal charges were ultimately dropped, with Bryant going on to settle a civil suit.

The accusation did little to diminish Bryant's popularity, and as the years went on, his charitable contributions and many business accomplishments served to rewrite a large part of his off-court legacy. Upon learning of Bryant's death, Barack Obama tweeted that Kobe was "just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act," and it's hard to say it any better than that.

Magic Johnson, in a thread of heartbroken tweets covering the gamut of Kobe's on- and of-court contributions, called attention to Bryant's passion for growing women's basketball. "Coaching his daughter's basketball team brought him so much happiness," Johnson wrote. That Kobe and his daughter were reportedly on their way to a game on Sunday is almost too painful to ponder.

In 2018, Bryant won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short for his six-minute film titled "Dear Basketball." That same year he published a book, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play. In 2007, Bryant founded the Kobe Bryant Basketball Academy, which aimed to train and mentor young athletes. The academy was merely the tip of a gigantic iceberg in terms of the influence Kobe had, and will continue to have, on the game of basketball and sports as a whole.

We throw around the word "legend" quite a lot these days. Kobe Bryant was, and always will be, a legend. You can feel it in the reactions on Sunday. People are devastated. Players are crying. The emotions are running deep for those that knew him, but it's the grieving of so many people who didn't know him that perhaps provides the clearest lens into the reach, and depth, of Bryant's impact.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/kobe ... evastated/

Thanks, sss. I don't know about the rest of the country, but his death has been getting saturation coverage here. It makes me feel better about the extent of coverage to know that he was, indeed, actively engaged in giving back to the community. I also learned from one of my colleagues who grew up in the same school district that Bryant paid for a new gym for his former high school. --Bob

[Pastor Fireball]

After a very painful three days of my children and me unsuccessfully trying to console one another, I can finally post something here. I don't know how much you guys read into numerology, symbolism, and coincidences, but there were quite a few that I had come across this week.

Kobe because world famous in 1996. He wore #24 in the second part of his NBA career. 1996+24 equal 2020. #24 gave us 24 years of memories--20 years for the Lakers--before he was taken from the world in 2020.

ESPN re-aired Kobe's final game on Monday night, where he dropped 60 points against the Utah Jazz. He officially left the game--and the NBA--with the scoreboard at 101-96 and 4.1 seconds on the clock. His helicopter crashed off of Ventura Freeway, also known as U.S. Highway 101. '96 was the year he gained worldwide fame, as mentioned before. He died at age 41. Also, Trey Lyles defended him in that final game. Trey Lyles's jersey number is 41.

Two years ago, Kobe won an Oscar for the animated short film version of his "Dear Basketball" letter. The ceremony took place at the Dolby Theater. The distance from Dolby Theater to the crash site in Malibu Canyon, as the crow flies, is 24.8 miles. Both of his jersey numbers.

Just hours before Kobe's death, Queen Asswipe LeBron had surpassed him on the all-time scoring list. Kobe ended his career with 33,643 points. LeBron has 33,655 points, as of his last game. 3+3+6+4+3+3+3+6+5+5 equal 41.

Just a few minutes after Kobe's death, the Pennsylvania Lottery's Pick 3 drew the numbers 238. He was born on the 23rd of August in Pennsylvania. Similarly, the Florida Lottery's Pick 3 drew 823 that night.

And just to compound the eeriness, MeTV aired the 1971 Columbo episode "Suitable for Framing" hours after Kobe's death. Ross Martin's character murdered Rosanna Huffman's character in Malibu Canyon. The scene began at 8:45 PM Eastern, exactly 8 hours after the helicopter crash in Malibu Canyon. Jersey #8 again.

Kobe Bryant wasn't perfect. Just a human being. A beautiful and talented human being. He had an intense passion for basketball that, in a cruel and downright unjust irony, would take him and his 13-year-old daughter from this world. Like millions of people, I regret not saying enough how much I loved and respected him while he was still alive. As much as I've been a lifelong hater of the Lakers, I've somehow always had a secret fondness for the Black Mamba.

On a final personal note, I'm borrowing my adopted son's Kobe jersey so that I can wear it in solidarity while taking a solo vacation in Atlanta during the next six days.

[Bob Juch]

Here's his Oscar winning short:

[Vandal]

Kobe Bryant family gets nearly $29 million settlement in case over helicopter crash photos

Vanessa Bryant has agreed to accept a $28.85 million settlement from Los Angeles County in exchange for ending her fight against those she accused of improperly taking and sharing gruesome photos of her dead husband and daughter after they perished in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

The settlement includes the $15 million judgment she won against the county after a two-week civil jury trial last year in Los Angeles. It also resolves all pending litigation and future claims from Bryant, widow of Kobe Bryant, the NBA legend. It is subject to court approval and would cover her children as well.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/n ... 368845002/

[BackInTex]

Kobe Bryant family gets nearly $29 million settlement in case over helicopter crash photos

Vanessa Bryant has agreed to accept a $28.85 million settlement from Los Angeles County in exchange for ending her fight against those she accused of improperly taking and sharing gruesome photos of her dead husband and daughter after they perished in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

The settlement includes the $15 million judgment she won against the county after a two-week civil jury trial last year in Los Angeles. It also resolves all pending litigation and future claims from Bryant, widow of Kobe Bryant, the NBA legend. It is subject to court approval and would cover her children as well.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/n ... 368845002/

My first thought was "That's a lot of money!" And I still think that, but good for her. The trouble I have is that the residents of LA County didn't do it. A few first responders or coroner employees did. I hope whomever was actually responsible is made an example of. Large awards are mostly about teaching lessons so whaterver was done might not be done again. Here, it seems the persons responsible are having others pay for their mistake, so no lessons learned.

[Bob Juch]

Kobe Bryant family gets nearly $29 million settlement in case over helicopter crash photos

Vanessa Bryant has agreed to accept a $28.85 million settlement from Los Angeles County in exchange for ending her fight against those she accused of improperly taking and sharing gruesome photos of her dead husband and daughter after they perished in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

The settlement includes the $15 million judgment she won against the county after a two-week civil jury trial last year in Los Angeles. It also resolves all pending litigation and future claims from Bryant, widow of Kobe Bryant, the NBA legend. It is subject to court approval and would cover her children as well.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/n ... 368845002/

My first thought was "That's a lot of money!" And I still think that, but good for her. The trouble I have is that the residents of LA County didn't do it. A few first responders or coroner employees did. I hope whomever was actually responsible is made an example of. Large awards are mostly about teaching lessons so whaterver was done might not be done again. Here, it seems the persons responsible are having others pay for their mistake, so no lessons learned.

Exactly!

[Vandal]

Joe 'Jellybean' Bryant, father of Kobe Bryant, dies at age 69

Former NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, the father of Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant, has died. He was 69.

An official cause of Bryant's death was not announced as of Tuesday morning. La Salle University, where Bryant played and coached, said in a statement that Bryant "was a beloved member of the Explorer family and will be dearly missed."

Longtime Philadelphia-area basketball coach Fran Dunphy, who currently is the head coach at La Salle, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Bryant recently suffered a massive stroke.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/405 ... ies-age-69