There will never be another

MANILA, Philippines — Kobe Bryant was more than just a remarkable basketball player.  He was an inspiring human being whose legacy as a family man, as a humbled person who overcame an incident of infamy in the prime of his life and as an ambassador of the sport he loved with a passion will never be forgotten.

Bryant, 41, died in a tragic helicopter crash with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in foggy Los Angeles weather last Sunday morning (L. A. time). The helicopter was often Bryant’s means of transportation to avoid the stifling traffic from his Newport Beach home to downtown Los Angeles. He used to fly in to play at the Staples Center. During a Nike press tour where The STAR participated in December 2012, Bryant landed in a helicopter at the AT&T Center roofdeck to escape the Los Angeles afternoon traffic then interacted with media in introducing his 9.6-ounce Kobe 8 shoe.

The former Los Angeles Lakers star made seven visits to Manila. His first trip was in 1998 when he came to pitch for Adidas. He even played two games with a visiting NBA All-Star squad in Manila during the 2011 lockout. Bryant said he was impressed by a Filipino player whom the All-Stars went up against, referring to Japeth Aguilar who dunked on Kevin Durant in one of the contests.

Bryant was a friend of the Filipino people and an avowed Manny Pacquiao fan. In 2013, he revealed that his Kobe 9 Elite Nike shoe was inspired by Pacquiao. “Manny was getting ready for the (Juan Manuel) Marquez fight in 2011 and I stopped by his training camp,” related Bryant. “I watched him spar and train, watched him move, looking at his footwork, trying to learn from him. I asked myself if I could move like Manny in a basketball shoe that looks like a boxing boot. I wanted the high-tops to be responsive to the movement of the ankles.” 

On his last Manila visit in 2016, Bryant said he would be involved in publishing books and producing films to influence the minds of the youth in his retirement. During the trip, he challenged Gilas to believe, practice, work hard and play together in its quest to someday qualify for the Olympics. “No matter how difficult the goal, you figure out how to achieve it, how to make it come true,” he said. “You’ll have your ups and downs but the important thing is you learn from your experience and you improve.” Bryant’s efforts in mass media were recognized with an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film and an Emmy for his film “Dear Basketball” in 2018 and critical acclaim for his young adult fantasy book “The Wizenard Series” and masterpiece “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play.”

Bryant said the Filipino spirit was something he grew to embrace. “Every time I visit Manila, I feel the energy and passion of the fans,” he said. “They push me to be better to inspire them.” Bryant was particularly moved by a photograph showing Filipino typhoon victims enjoying a game of basketball with a makeshift goal mounted on debris, rubble and crumbled walls in a devastated neighborhood in Tacloban in the wake of storm Yolanda. “You get knocked down then you get up, you get knocked down and you try again,” he said. “Eventually, you will get to where you want to go but you’ve got to have the perseverance and determination to get there.” 

Bryant was dragged into court by a teenager who claimed rape in 2003 and he admitted the impropriety. His wife Vanessa filed for divorce in 2011. But Bryant, who sought advice from a Catholic priest, turned his life around, saved his marriage and became an example of a transformed man who found solace in the roots of his faith. Bryant and his wife later reconciled. The youngest of their four daughters is only seven months old.

On the court, Bryant was extraordinary. He personified what he called the Mamba Mentality – the attitude of pursuing excellence through hard work, sacrifice and self-discipline to be relentless, resilient and fearless. Through 20 NBA seasons, Bryant played on five championship teams, led the league in scoring twice, took a pair of Finals MVP awards and scored a single-game high of 81 points behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point feat in the all-time standings. In his farewell game in 2016, Bryant sizzled for 60 points and ended his career on his terms. 

There will never be another Kobe Bryant, a legend in his own time, gone too soon but his memory will live forever. Rest in peace, Black Mamba.