Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and seven other people perished in a helicopter crash that shocked the entire world three years ago today. For many of his fans, time stopped when the news broke. The loss of an icon was lamented by all of humanity.
The NBA world seemed to stop on that awful day three years ago, and in some ways it still does. People are still processing the passing of a person who influenced so many basketball players in the present generation.
Gary Harris of the Orlando Magic stated, “I remember simply playing against Kobe, even that farewell tour, and getting an opportunity to play against a legend like him is something I’m going to be able to tell my kids about. It’s going to be a difficult day for a lot of us since he motivated us all to play basketball. With the Los Angeles Lakers for his first 20 years in the league, Bryant won five titles, including his fourth in 2009 against the Magic at the former Amway Arena. The Lakers struggled to establish their identity following Magic Johnson’s retirement and were off the basketball map until his success with Shaquille O’Neal in the early 2000s.
Then Kobe took over as the main star in Los Angeles after Shaq was moved to the Miami Heat in 2004, elevating him to a new level and winning him fresh admiration from fans all around the world.He earned a whole new fan who sensed his brilliance and wanted to emulate it as the player who was perhaps the best in the world in the late 2000s, scoring 81 points in a game in 2006, getting the MVP in 2007, and making three straight Finals from 2008 to 2010.
Wendell Carter Jr. declared, “He’s one of my favorite players.” “He belonged to the category of individuals with once-in-a-generation brilliance. Kobe has every amenity a basketball player could ask for. It will be difficult for the basketball community to go into another year without him, but it also demonstrates how much we value him. “Although Carter, a center, said that he did not model his game after Kobe, he was able to adopt the phrases and way of thinking that Kobe adopted himself.
Should they have been asked, every NBA player would have said that Kobe is their biggest inspiration. That demonstrates the significant influence he had on basketball and how it will affect the league and the game going ahead.Even though Kobe hasn’t been physically alive for three years, he has genuinely attained the position of a legend since legends never die.
On Monday, Nike released a heartfelt tribute to Kobe Bryant, timed to coincide with the start of the public memorial service for Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
There were no videos or pictures in the straightforward but powerful tribute.
Instead, the video highlighted various accomplishments spanning across the star’s lengthy career, with various audio clips playing in the background: Playing for Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, his five championships with the Lakers, his career-high 81 points, and more.
On “Mamba Forever,” it concludes.
After Kobe Bryant’s passing, merchandise became extremely popular, as seen in the Nike advertisement.
Everyone appeared to have the same thought in the days that followed Bryant’s shocking passing: stock up on Mamba gear.
Nike sold out very quickly.
Fans were directed to a company statement titled “In Memory: Kobe Bryant” on the retailer’s website when they searched for “Kobe” or “Kobe Bryant” but no products were found.
The statement read, “Kobe was one of the greatest athletes of his generation and has had an immeasurable impact on the sport of basketball and the world of sport.” He was cherished by the Nike family. He will be sorely missed. Mamba forever.