It’s going to be a somber week.
The End of the Holocaust
Today, Monday, is the day that ended the holocaust. This was day that Auschwitz was closed and the prisoners freed.
And I’m a bad person for not paying enough attention to this.
Rest in Peace
On Sunday, at about 10 AM, a helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant, the Los Angeles Laker great, his daughter Gianni or Gigi and seven others ran into dense fog in the north Los Angeles town of Calabasas.
The others killed were kids and parents for the team that Gigi played on.
I think it is important we include those people. We can get caught into Kobe passing but I do not think his death was the most tragic. I think Gigi, Alyssa, Sarah and Payton, all teenagers, was the most tragic. There’s just something about the loss of a child
It is one thing to lose a husband or wife, but to lose a child also, I just can’t imagine it. It pulls at my heart just thinking about it. I pray for Vanessa Bryant and her kids. I just can’t conceive.
The response from the NBA, their players, coaches and fans has been plentiful. One of the most hard is when the Raptors and Spurs traded 24 second violations. Twenty-four was Kobe’s number.
But the hardest to watch was Clipper’s coach, Doc Rivers responding to Kobe’s passing.
Other responses include:
- Kobe will be inducted into the Hall of Fame immediately.
- The Lakers and Clippers game has been postponed.
- Calls for changing the NBA insignia for the rest of the year have been called for.
- Crowds gathered at the Staples Center even though the Grammy’s were being held.
- Kobe’s retired numbers were lit during the Garmmy’s.
- Crowds gathered and stayed at the crash site.
He was a pretty well-liked guy. And there was good reason.
Why Do I Care
Notice how I knew Kobe’s wife’s name? I never met Kobe but I was a Lakers fan (I’m from Los Angeles) and have been following them since the 70s.
Kobe came from Charlotte in a trade for Vlad Divac which no one thought was a bad trade. Vlad was a lug and, when Magic Johnson retired, he was worthless.
Here comes Kobe, great name. Skinny eighteen year old, not great. Awesome afro.
When you watched him play, one could see he was different. The slithered down the court and had unsuspecting speed. And he could stay in the air for a year. He looked like Michael Jordan. And he had no fear. This little kid would go right down the lane, against the biggest guys to get his shots up. And, the ones he made were amazing.
The ones his missed made one sigh and shake his head.
He was eighteen, arrogant (which means he had no fear) and would miss more than he hit. He was also the most talented on a really weak and small team.
Enter Shaqhille O’Neil.
O’Neil set him straight. And Kobe hated that. Kobe was no longer the big man on the team. Shaq was.
But the Lakers started to win. With Shaq, the Lakers won back-to-back-to-back championships (2000-2002). They were so good, no one really was surprised on the third championship.
But the people were excited. Everyone, including me, had a Lakers flag on their car. We had parties during the final games (yeah, there was booze). It was a great time.
But the soap opera continued. And it was a soap opera. Shaq and Kobe hated each other (they made up after a while).
Shaq went to Miami with another guy named Dwayne Wade. With him, Shaq won another championship.
Kobe had some lean years after Shaq left. He was awesome, but the team sucked. I didn’t think they would win again.
The Lakers made some trades. They got Pao Gasol, Derek Fisher, Metta World Peace (Ron Artest), Shannon Brown and Lamar Odom. They became a competitor.
They won back-to-back championships from 2009-2010. But, this time, Kobe was the leader. He was the MVP.
In his last game, on a team that sucked and after recovering from a torn Achilles, he scored 61 points. He was amazing.
See, that’s why Kobe is mourned. He brought joy to people. He wasn’t a god or anything. He was just a good looking kid that loved what he did, had a drive and competitiveness everyone want and loved Los Angeles.
And Los Angeles loved him.
When he retired, I didn’t see the purpose of watching basketball. I haven’t watched a full game since he retired.
Here’s some irony: upon Kobe’s retirement, he flew from Staples Center on the same helicopter that crashed into that Calabasas mountain.
If that doesn’t give one goose bumps, I don’t know what will.
Very Tacky
Of course, there are always people that want to politicize even the worst of tragedies.
A Washington Post reporter was suspended for pointing out, an hour after he died, that he was accused of rape. She’s suspended and there are calls for her to lose her job.
Not me. We heard this and the results. Why this needed to be brought up, I don’t know. I know Vanessa and Kobe had three more kids after that incident.
Ok, Kobe wasn’t perfect. But he grew up. He made up for his sins (that we know of). He loved his kids. And kids change a person. Give him a break. Sometimes #MeToo has no place.
Remember the Biblical saying by Christ: “Ye who have no stone cast the first stone.”
The Bryants were Catholics. Kobe and his daughter went to Church before their ill-fated flight. He was a man which means he flawed. He and Vanessa worked through it. They stayed together.
And, though Kobe was guilty, I don’t think he was that guilty.
Then there was the gal from MSNBC who was accused of calling Kobe the N-word in a flub.
I think it’s crap. But all the Conservative sites are screaming about it. Get over it.
https://www.dailywire.com/news/msnbc-reporter-issues-statement-after-being-accused-of-saying-n-word-in-kobe-report-never
https://dailycaller.com/2020/01/27/washington-post-reporter-suspended-tweets-kobe-bryant/
One Final Tribute
This is a reverent night. You know where you can listen to, you know where you can see me. Let’s just celebrate Kobe’s greatest plays. Good night all.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/weather-conditions-eyed-in-kobe-bryant-helicopter-crash-officials-say
https://www.dailywire.com/news/kobe-a-devout-catholic-reportedly-attended-mass-morning-of-accident