ON JANUARY 27, Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi made headlines after they died in a helicopter crash. After waiting hours for verification, the distressing reality sank in: The world had lost an icon.
It has been six months since then, but the feeling of loss still hangs in the air.
Since the onset of his 20-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Bryant’s talent redefined what athletes are capable of. However, more than his game play, his character inspired individuals—including myself—to always chase greatness.
The Black Mamba
As a young basketball player, I would eagerly put on my Kobe jersey and wait for his powers to transfer to me—much like what the movie Like Mike depicted.
Night after night and season after season, I would watch Bryant put on a masterful display of the game. His legend only grew as he aged from a young rookie with raw talent and fiery energy to a veteran with enhanced skill and mental discipline.
By the end of his career, he was a five-time NBA champion and a two-time Olympic champion. He also picked up two NBA Finals MVP awards. In 2016, Bryant’s swan song saw him drop 60 points against the Utah Jazz as he bid farewell to the league in true Kobe fashion.
I soon realized that wearing his merchandise would never turn me into the incredible athlete that he was, but mirroring the intangibles might.
Bryant’s work ethic, hunger, and resilience always propelled him to greater heights. He could have been content with what he achieved with his natural ability, but his hustle and heart put him in a league of his own. This was the backbone of what he coined to be his Mamba Mentality.
“To sum up what Mamba Mentality is, it means to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself,” Bryant said during the Manila leg of his 2016 Mamba Mentality tour.
Seeing the bigger picture
Perhaps more admirable, however, is the fact that Bryant carried the Mamba Mentality off the court. Not only was he an athlete, he was also a writer, a businessman, a philanthropist and a doting father.
He poured his heart into these other endeavors to show that athletes could leave a bigger mark on the world. This speaks volumes to me to this day. As someone who was subject to false pretenses that labeled me as nothing more than an athlete, Bryant’s own aspirations have pushed me to redefine what athletes are capable of off the court.
For starters, Bryant became the first professional athlete to win an Academy Award for the short film he wrote and narrated, Dear Basketball. Three years later, former National Football League star Matthew Cherry honored Bryant for paving the way for his success after winning the same award for his film Hair Love. “It’s so wild because when Kobe won [for Dear Basketball in 2018] it really inspired me… Now that he’s gone, I hope I can continue his legacy…and inspire other athletes to excel in their second career,” he said.
As a proud #GirlDad, Bryant also advocated for the advancement of women’s sports. He raised budding female athletes and mentored the next generation of athletes—including his late daughter, Gigi—at the Mamba Sports Academy. He also founded this state-of-the-art multi-sport training facility for the youth.
“He didn’t see growing the game with girls as his hobby, or as some side project, or as a charity case. He saw it as a movement,” said Sabrina Ionescu, the number one draft pick of the 2020 Women’s National Basketball Association and a close friend of Kobe and Gigi.
Time and time again, Bryant left a consequential impression wherever he went, immortalizing his legacy in the lives he touched.
A legacy that will live on
While tributes mourning Bryant’s death have been drowned out in timelines and news feeds, the small glimpses of him that continue to surface proves that he will never be forgotten.
With the NBA season set to resume on July 30 after a four-month suspension brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, players are readying themselves for the unknown. Under the new normal, stringent adjustments have been made for the league to carry on. Not only are all games to be held in the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, teams will be also playing without any fans in attendance.
In these unfamiliar times, the Mamba Mentality echoes on with players committing to channel Bryant’s competitive spirit regardless of the circumstances.
As for me, although my last year in college will likely mark the end of my athletic career, I will continue to harness Bryant’s philosophy in everything I do.
Even with Bryant gone, the reverberations of his actions will continue to make an impact on generations to come. As ESPN columnist LZ Granderson said, “Legends are honored for what they’ve accomplished. Icons continually set the bar for what is possible.”
Editor’s Note: The writer is currently the team captain of the Ateneo Women’s Basketball Team.
