Tuesday is the one-year anniversary of the passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Bryant died on January 26, 2020 in a tragic helicopter crash, as did his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and three other daughters. He was 41 years old at the time of his January 2020 death.
During his legendary 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant was a five-time NBA champion; an 18-time All-Star; a two-time Olympic gold medalist; and an MVP, among numerous accolades. He remained an active NBA player through the 2015-16 season.
That extended career in professional basketball meant that he crossed paths with numerous players still in the league, including veterans on the 2020-21 Houston Rockets such as John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, PJ Tucker, Eric Gordon, and Ben McLemore. Head coach Stephen Silas also coached against Bryant a number of times, albeit as an assistant.
In recent days, many members of that Houston group were asked to share their perspectives on Bryant amid the approaching one-year anniversary of his tragic passing. Here’s a sampling of their responses.
On the one-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant's death, @JohnWall says: "Everybody's got to die at some point, but legends never die.
"The most important thing to me, though, was the role he took on after basketball. That was being a father." (via #Rockets)#khou11 pic.twitter.com/cFkFxsODOB
— Jason Bristol (@JBristolKHOU) January 26, 2021
One year after Kobe Bryant's death, John Wall looks back on the legacy the Mamba left behind. https://t.co/ipQpTwHR8H
— NBCSports Washington (@NBCSWashington) January 26, 2021
