For many NBA fans, today has been a tough one, with the one-year anniversary of Los Angeles Laker icon Kobe Bryant having arrived.
Even among those of us who did not count ourselves fans, even counting some of us who looked on him as a bitter rival to their favorite team (including most of our readers), the sudden loss of an NBA legend at such a young age has been almost as hard a pill to swallow as it was when it happened. And for some, faults and all, the Laker luminary was more than just a moving image on our television and computer screens across the years.
For Celtic alumni like Jayson Tatum and particularly Bill Russell, he was also a friend.
I have retyped this post so many times trying to find the words. But I just can’t find the ones to describe this feeling because it’s still unimaginable. Jeannine & I are thinking & praying for Vanessa, the girls, Kobe’s parent’s & the other families that lost their loved ones. pic.twitter.com/rBsNvjhjkH
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) January 26, 2021
On the anniversary of Bryant’s fateful, horrific helicopter crash, Russell posted a tribute to his fallen friend on Twitter.
“I have retyped this post so many times trying to find the words,” related the Celtics legend. “But I just can’t find the ones to describe this feeling because it’s still unimaginable. Jeannine & I are thinking & praying for Vanessa, the girls, Kobe’s parent’s & the other families that lost their loved ones.”
This has been an unimaginably tough year in such a regard for so many, and it has not spared Russell with the loss of Kobe, Tommy Heinsohn and K.C. Jones, all people the Boston icon has kept close over the years.
Pels Lonzo Ball, JJ Redick reportedly available; should Boston call? https://t.co/IDLG5f2Phb
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) January 26, 2021
On the anniversary of Bryant’s passing, we are just starting to arrive at a place where we can truly absorb its impact on the wider NBA community.
And while there are still many things to be written about the man and his legacy, for today we will let the words of his friends do the talking, and hope for better times ahead.
This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
