Jim Boylen did his best to fight back the tears, and answer the question.
The Bulls coach would soon lose out on both fronts.
Boylen, who has two teenage daughters of his own who are heavily into basketball, was asked about the death of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in a Sunday helicopter crash, as well as Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and just the emotion it took to come up with a response overwhelmed Boylen.
“Well, you know…’’ Boylen said on Monday, before his voice started cracking. “That’s a tough question to answer.’’
So he didn’t.
And he didn’t need to.
Boylen’s emotion captured what many around the Advocate Center were feeling before, during, and after the morning shootaround, as the Bulls were trying to find some path back to the business of basketball less than 24 hours after the new of Bryant and eight others dying in the crash.
“What I marveled at was his confidence, his ability to miss two or three shots in a row and then make eight in a row,’’ Boylen said, once he gathered himself. “His ability to close games, to close quarters, to be a two-way player. I think those things were what I valued. He honored the system. He believed in having a system. He was respectful to coaching. He was always the hardest worker. He never ran from the tough moment. He was willing to help other players. He loved the work part of it, which I think is what this league is all about. His example that way are the things I think about.
“And I think about the husband and father part. You know, I take my kids to practice. I take them to their AAU camp. I play with them in the driveway. I have two daughters who play basketball. So it’s tough.’’
It might only be tougher this evening, when the Bulls tip-off against the Spurs at the United Center, and Bryant is honored publicly by the franchise and the individual players.
“It’s going to be really sad, but I think it’s something that he would have wanted, for people to get back into the game and play,’’ guard Zach LaVine said. “I feel like that’s how he would approach it. So I’m going to go out there and play the way I do – play my heart out. Obviously everybody is going to have a heavy heart, but we still have a job to do. It’s terrible you have to play under those circumstances, but I feel like it’s something he would want as well.’’
