Kobe Bryant and Daughter Gianna Killed in a Helicopter Crash

[Fencer reregistered]

I'm jumping into this thread on Page 66 or so, but anyhow:
-- Athletes may be more conscious of mortality than a typical young person is.
-- Beyond that, I bet a lot of them grew up literally fantasizing about being Kobe or Jordan or whoever.
-- Great player. Detailed rankings of that greatness don't matter at the moment.
Redacted
-- The start on his post-playing career was impressive, and I say that as somebody who suspects that what he said about basketball was often incorrect.
-- Come to think of it, the three great Lakers guards who are in the GOAT-rankings discussions as players could be viewed as in the GOAT-ranking discussions for post-playing careers too. West is super-high in the executive GOAT rankings; the only ex-player who comes remotely close is Riley. Magic had a lot of business success, which shouldn't obscure his exec and talk show failures. And Kobe, while he wouldn't really rank all that high because he didn't live long enough, was off to a very impressive start.

I don't think you meant any harm with this post, but let's leave discussions of Kobe's past indiscretions out of this thread. Everyone makes mistakes.
-Sammy

Well, moderation is difficult and poorly paid, so I won't complain too vigorously. But editing out my compliments too ... well, it seems that all that's welcome here are saccharine expressions of generic sorrow, which isn't very interesting to me, so I'm out.

What's appropriate here are expressions of how people feel in the wake of tragic news, not summary statements about irrelevant and long-resolved incidents of indiscretion.

Don't dismiss these peoples' expressions as generic or insincere; you have neither the insight to make that evaluation nor the clout for anyone to be particularly interested in whether their sentiments move you.

I don't doubt sincerity at all. Truly.

I just was slow to realize that this thread on a what is commonly referred to as a discussion board isn't actually for discussion. My bad.

[Mamba4Goat]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

What an awesome move.

[CodeBreaker]

This is so heartbreaking...

[SkyHook]

Nothing but sympathy for Vanessa Bryant and her daughters. Tragic for them to have to grow up without their father at their side.

[JellosJigglin]

I want to give my 2 cents too.

I was first in denial (Don't die ****!), then in shock for a few hours and cried too. It's sinking in now, but this has affected me much more than I would have expected. Listening to both Rivers, Shaw, Breen, Ernie, Pop, etc. helps ease the pain. Reading you guys helps too, my basketball family.

He's one of my Top3 favourite players of all time along with KG and Pau Gasol, but I'm only noticing now how much of a role model he was for so many and also, in a way, for me.

I'm so sad because it feels like he still had so much more to give: be it coaching (where i'm sure he'd excel and sort of "pioneer" if it was to be the WNBA), public speaking (which he was great at) or educational / artistic projects as he showed since retirement. I told myself this was not fair.

Bastard was mean to his teammates, but in the form of being too demanding, cause he was extremely self-demanding. Defect by virtue. Virtue by defect. Despite this, he was loved tremendously by those close to him and also admired and envied by his rivals, who on top of everything, had tremendous respect for him. Because Kobe Bryant commanded a lot of respect and deservedly so.

Also very saddening the passing of Gianna Maria. I can only feel for Vanessa and the girls, how they must be feeling right now. Double loss must be devastating. The basketball community is with you all. Prayers up.

Sad day. Rest in peace Kobe Bryant, one of the greats of basketball.

From one Laker fan to a Celtic fan, thank you for this. I know Kobe was a polarizing figure, but he had the spirit of a warrior. We all wish every player on our teams showed the passion for the game that he did. He may have come off as demanding, but he expected the same out of himself. He didn't take games or practices off and then expect his teammates to give their all. He lead by example. For me, he transcended the game. I hope to be passionate about anything as much as Kobe was about basketball.

[-Sammy-]

Well, moderation is difficult and poorly paid, so I won't complain too vigorously. But editing out my compliments too ... well, it seems that all that's welcome here are saccharine expressions of generic sorrow, which isn't very interesting to me, so I'm out.

What's appropriate here are expressions of how people feel in the wake of tragic news, not summary statements about irrelevant and long-resolved incidents of indiscretion.

Don't dismiss these peoples' expressions as generic or insincere; you have neither the insight to make that evaluation nor the clout for anyone to be particularly interested in whether their sentiments move you.

I don't doubt sincerity at all. Truly.

I just was slow to realize that this thread on a what is commonly referred to as a discussion board isn't actually for discussion. My bad.

It's for appropriate and relevant discussion, and a lot of that has been taking place; what I redacted from your post isn't.

Take some time to read what people have been writing and don't be so quick to dismiss it as 'saccharine' or 'generic'.

[The High Cyde]

Los Angeles has lost its Lion...But now there’s a new Basketball God up there, smiling down.

Tragic day, I was going through a break up in my car almost exactly around the time when the copter went down. It truly feels like a death in the family for me today. Was driving down the 5 and was already seeing people paying homage to Kobe in their cars. What a day.

[Stillwater]

The best thing you can do to honor his memory is to be silent, but live in a way the reflects how he inspired you. Strong willed men are easy to follow, but men with heart who have that relentless drive and desire are those of legend because few with that trait ever fail at much and so when a tragedy like this happens it's even more shocking despite these types of things happening in the world often

[Fencer reregistered]

I'm jumping into this thread on Page 66 or so, but anyhow:
-- Athletes may be more conscious of mortality than a typical young person is.
-- Beyond that, I bet a lot of them grew up literally fantasizing about being Kobe or Jordan or whoever.
-- Great player. Detailed rankings of that greatness don't matter at the moment.
Redacted
-- The start on his post-playing career was impressive, and I say that as somebody who suspects that what he said about basketball was often incorrect.
-- Come to think of it, the three great Lakers guards who are in the GOAT-rankings discussions as players could be viewed as in the GOAT-ranking discussions for post-playing careers too. West is super-high in the executive GOAT rankings; the only ex-player who comes remotely close is Riley. Magic had a lot of business success, which shouldn't obscure his exec and talk show failures. And Kobe, while he wouldn't really rank all that high because he didn't live long enough, was off to a very impressive start.

I don't think you meant any harm with this post, but let's leave discussions of Kobe's past indiscretions out of this thread. Everyone makes mistakes.
-Sammy

Well, moderation is difficult and poorly paid, so I won't complain too vigorously. But editing out my compliments too ... well, it seems that all that's welcome here are saccharine expressions of generic sorrow, which isn't very interesting to me, so I'm out.

What's appropriate here are expressions of how people feel in the wake of tragic news, not summary statements about irrelevant and long-resolved incidents of indiscretion.

Don't dismiss these peoples' expressions as generic or insincere; you have neither the insight to make that evaluation nor the clout for anyone to be particularly interested in whether their sentiments move you.

Also, it's my opinion that people often can be more fairly and fully judged after that passage of time. So I think you're flat out wrong to think that his boorish younger behavior was resolved at the time. If it had been, we'd judge him harshly for it. The fact that he outgrew it is a big part of why it isn't now seen as a big deal.

Oops. There I go discussing again. But in my defense, you expressed an opinion in this supposedly opinion-free thread, and I was responding directly to it.

[azcatz11]

Read on Twitter

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What an awesome move.

Imagine this will be league wide sooner than later - thanks for sharing

[basketballRob]

Nothing but sympathy for Vanessa Bryant and her daughters. Tragic for them to have to grow up without their father at their side.

The youngest daughter was also killed in the crash.

Sent from my SM-G950U using RealGM mobile app

[picc]

Its nice to be here with you guys.

[Illmatic12]

Same. Living in a world without Michael Jackson was inconceivable to me. Now we live in a world without Kobe. Nothing surprises me anymore. We will all be gone one day. Enjoy your time, guys.

Yeah along with Michael Jackson, this is by far the heaviest celebrity death I can recall. Princess Diana’s accident was also very shocking but to me this is different. I know this might sound dramatic, but for me personally this is one of those events like 9/11 where you instantly know your life perspective afterwards is changed for ever.

Kobe was the first athlete I truly idolized from a young age, all those years I never pictured that the mans life story would end like this. This one is gonna stay with me.

Nothing is promised in this life man, as a society we spend way too much time worrying about silly BS that doesn’t matter.. already deleted Twitter/IG/bleacher report off my phone and gonna take a social media break for a good while.

Rest in Power, Kobe and Gianna (and the other victims as well). You inspired billions and the world will remember forever.

I think comparing it to 9/11 or Pearl Harbor and the like is a bit extreme. Although I get that it might hit you personally in a similar manner. Just seems a bit much, those events were world altering. This is one of the random events, that teaches you how precious and unpredictable life is. For better or worse.

I remember my grandparents talking about what it was like to go through Pearl Harbor. The fear, and the general uneasiness of the whole country. Imagine that for 3 years you'd seen Europe on fire and millions dead. And now you know.... America is no longer on the sidelines. You know that hundreds of thousands of people will die in the coming years.

I'm pretty devastated by Kobe's death. But it's hard to put it in the same realm of history book events like 9/11.

Oh trust me I’m a WW junkie , I’m not saying it’s historically the same magnitude as those events or as 9/11 at all.

Just that for me personally , this was the first public event of my adulthood that really shook me to my core and seems impossible to process for some reason.

[Patches Perry]

I would love to see the NBA update NBA logo from West to Kobe. It would surely garner unanimous support.

[Illmatic12]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

What an awesome move.

I believe the other 28 teams should follow suit retire either #8 or #24 if not already taken

[XTC]

Read on Twitter

Read on Twitter

What an awesome move.

Class act by Cuban.

#24 should be retired league wide IMO.

[azcatz11]

Its nice to be here with you guys.

We got your back!!!!

[RIP Kobe]

https://www.tmz.com/

4:30 PM PT -- L.A. weather was extremely foggy Sunday morning, and law enforcement sources tell us even LAPD air support was grounded because of it. Flight tracker data shows Kobe's chopper appeared to first encounter weather issues as it was above the L.A. Zoo. It circled that area at least 6 times at a very low altitude -- around 875 feet -- perhaps waiting for the fog to clear.

We know the pilot contacted the control tower at Burbank Airport around 9:30 AM PT, and the tower was aware the pilot had been circling for about 15 minutes. The pilot eventually headed north along the 118 freeway before turning to the west, and started following above the 101 freeway around Woodland Hills, CA.

At around 9:40 AM they encounter more weather -- as in seriously heavy fog -- and the chopper turned south. This was critical, because they turned toward a mountainous area. The pilot suddenly and rapidly climbed from about 1200 feet up to 2000 feet.

However, moments later -- around 9:45 AM -- they flew into a mountain at 1700 feet. Flight tracker data shows they were flying at about 161 knots.

to think that it could have potentially been avoided.

helicopters are not airplanes and struggle more with rain/fog/snow.

[Klayforspicy]

The title of this thread is just so morbid, but its reality.

[Roy The Natural]

Yeah along with Michael Jackson, this is by far the heaviest celebrity death I can recall. Princess Diana’s accident was also very shocking but to me this is different. I know this might sound dramatic, but for me personally this is one of those events like 9/11 where you instantly know your life perspective afterwards is changed for ever.

Kobe was the first athlete I truly idolized from a young age, all those years I never pictured that the mans life story would end like this. This one is gonna stay with me.

Nothing is promised in this life man, as a society we spend way too much time worrying about silly BS that doesn’t matter.. already deleted Twitter/IG/bleacher report off my phone and gonna take a social media break for a good while.

Rest in Power, Kobe and Gianna (and the other victims as well). You inspired billions and the world will remember forever.

I think comparing it to 9/11 or Pearl Harbor and the like is a bit extreme. Although I get that it might hit you personally in a similar manner. Just seems a bit much, those events were world altering. This is one of the random events, that teaches you how precious and unpredictable life is. For better or worse.

I remember my grandparents talking about what it was like to go through Pearl Harbor. The fear, and the general uneasiness of the whole country. Imagine that for 3 years you'd seen Europe on fire and millions dead. And now you know.... America is no longer on the sidelines. You know that hundreds of thousands of people will die in the coming years.

I'm pretty devastated by Kobe's death. But it's hard to put it in the same realm of history book events like 9/11.

Oh trust me I’m a WW junkie , I’m not saying it’s historically the same magnitude as those events or as 9/11 at all.

Just that for me personally , this was the first public event of my adulthood that really shook me to my core and seems impossible to process for some reason.

Yea I'm with you. This event has shaken me. I really didn't know how much I admired and liked Kobe until now.

I respected him as a player but didn't like him because he was great and always killed my Blazers. But after he retired, I found myself drawn to him more and more as a player and as an analyst and interesting person. This has hit me tremendously hard. I'm right there with you though.

I grew up in SD and Seau's death and Tony Gwynn's death were hard. This has been harder. Even without the local connections, this feels worse.