As Kobe Bryant watched Lebron James pass him in the leaderboard for all-time points, no one thought that he was well into the final hours of his life. As one of Basketball’s all-time greats, he helped life the sport to even greater heights. His list of accomplishments are jaw dropping: 5x NBA Champ, 2x Finals MVP, 18-time All-Star, 12-time All-Defensive Team selections. The accolades go on and on. But, you can’t write a piece on Kobe Bryant without talking about his “Mamba Mentality”. If anything, Kobe was best known for his relentless pursuit to be the best he could possibly be. This translated to major successes in his life even after he walked away from basketball. Kobe went on to write books and even won an Academy Award for his short film: Dear Basketball. 

Now, the death of such a brilliant man with so much potential can only be summed up in one word. Tragic. It was nowhere near time for a person who many idolized to pass. Even now, it feels surreal to say the words “Kobe Bryant is dead”. My best wishes go out to Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s wife, who must be overwhelmed with the loss of her husband of almost 20 years and her young daughter. If there is anything we can take away from this horrific tragedy, it’s that we should never take anything for granted. Not even the littlest things. I’ll leave you guys a quote that truly embodied who Kobe was as a person. “Everything negative – pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity to rise.” – Kobe Bryant