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Kobe Bryant, the retired Los Angeles Lakers basketball star who was one of the greatest to play the game, and his 13-year-old daughter were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday outside Los Angeles, rocking the sports world and generating an outpouring of grief and shock across the country.
What does Kobe Bryant’s life and death mean to you? Please use our comments section to express your thoughts.
In “Kobe Bryant, Transformational Star of the N.B.A., Dies in Helicopter Crash,” Scott Cacciola writes:
Bryant, 41, a quiet force of nature on the court who gave himself the nickname Black Mamba, retired in 2016 with five N.B.A. championship rings and a long list of N.B.A. records — he was surpassed by LeBron James on Saturday night for third on the N.B.A. career scoring list. Signing with the league right out of high school in 1996, he changed the way the N.B.A. identified, groomed and developed its youngest stars.
Yet he was far more than a basketball giant. He was among the world’s best-known athletes, a star on the order of Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan, swarmed by fans whether he was in Beijing or Beverly Hills. Young people typically shout “Kobe!’’ when they hit a jump shot on basketball courts everywhere.
He won an Oscar in 2018 for an animated short film on his life, and was a largely beloved figure, though sexual assault charges in 2003 cast a shadow over his image. Mr. Bryant publicly admitted to having consensual extramarital sex with the 19-year-old accuser, but insisted he had not committed a crime. The charges were ultimately dropped as the accuser declined to testify, and she and Mr. Bryant reached a civil settlement, allowing him to resume his storied career.
There were more championships, and Mr. Bryant evolved into fatherhood and a man with business interests that stretched far beyond his sport.
News of Mr. Bryant’s death was immediately described in tragic terms, the premature end to the life of a worldwide superstar who touched the lives of, and was so familiar to, basketball fans and also those who had little interest in the sport.
Students, read the entire article, then tell us:
What is your reaction to the news of the death of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and the seven other passengers with them on the helicopter that crashed Sunday morning?
Are you a basketball fan? What did Bryant mean to the game? To you as a fan? What are your favorite memories of him, on or off the court? What might you learn from him?
As this piece points out, even those with little interest in basketball knew of the worldwide superstar. If you aren’t a fan, which of the many tributes have helped you understand Kobe Bryant’s legacy? Back in December we asked students, “How Have You Coped With the Death of an Idol?” Is there a public figure whose death has meant to you what Bryant’s has meant to his fans?
This piece compiled live updates all day Sunday, describing reactions from fans who gathered outside the Staples Arena; from athletes and politicians; from the Mamba Sports Academy; and from musicians at the Grammy Awards. Which of these reactions were most meaningful to you? Why?
Teachers, if you are looking for more ideas for teaching with this news, here is one from the literacy educator Sara K. Ahmed:
