Multiple reports, including one from The Associated Press and ESPN.com’s Adrian Wojnarowski, have indicated that NBA legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Sunday afternoon in California.
The news rocked the sports world, and people from all walks of life, and across all sports, hit social media to pay tribute to Bryant and mourn his passing.
That included several Kansas basketball players.
> Tweeted KU point guard Devon Dotson,
> in two separate Tweets three minutes
> apart: “Plz plz plz no.” And “This
> cannot be real… no way no way.”
>
> Freshman Jalen Wilson posted a black
> and white photo of Bryant walking
> toward the basket, with the caption,
> “Mamba Mentality Forever… RIP.”
Bryant’s nickname and the brand he had built while conducting all of his post-basketball business endeavors was The Black Mamba.
> Silvio De Sousa also posted two
> separate times, with the first simply
> saying, “No no no.” The second Tweet
> read, “I’m hurttttt… No way KOBE is
> gone.”
Freshman Christian Braun, 16 hours earlier, had ReTweeted what will go down as Bryant’s final post, a congratulatory message to James sent out to his 15 million followers.
> “Continuing to move the game forward
> @KingJames,” it began. “Much respect
> my brother #33644.”
The hashtag referenced James’ updated point total, which moved him one point in front of Bryant into third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Kansas coach Bill Self had not been around Bryant much, but it was clear from his reaction that Self was well aware of Bryant’s impact on basketball, both during his 20-year career and after.
> “I grew up idolizing Larry (Bird) and
> Magic (Johnson) and our players, since
> I’ve been here, have grown up
> idolizing Kobe,” Self told the
> Journal-World. “Everyone respected his
> talent, competitive spirit and the
> difference he made, and was going to
> make, in peoples’ lives moving
> forward. A very sad time for so many
> and everyone that follows our sport.”
Former KU great and longtime Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce, who waged countless battles with Bryant during his career, simply Tweeted a emoji of a sad face, before adding in a separate Tweet, “This is not real right now.”
Another notable Tweet came from former KU center and current NBA superstar Joel Embiid. It read:
> “Man, I don’t even know where to
> start. I started playing ball because
> of KOBE after watching the 2010
> Finals. I had never watched ball
> before that and that Finals was the
> turning point of my life. I WANTED TO
> BE LIKE KOBE. I’m so FREAKING SAD
> right now!!!! RIP LEGEND.”
Kobe Bryant, an 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships during a 20-year career spent entirely with the Los Angeles Lakers, was 41. Bryant died in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California, a source told The Associated Press. https://t.co/UgKcL1Zemh
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 26, 2020
Kobe Bryant is among those dead in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles, a source confirms to ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 26, 2020
