LOS ANGELES _ Joe de Vera couldn't help but notice the composure coming from Kobe Bryant's bench.
On Court 4 inside the Mamba Sports Academy on Jan. 25, the Black Mamba himself was coaching his daughter Gianna's eighth-grade club team.
A guest coach on the opposing team, de Vera had only heard stories of the man whose motivational tactics had become the stuff of myth, whose emotions were plastered on his sleeve for the better part of a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
But what de Vera saw that day was something different: The five-time NBA champion wore a black tracksuit and earnest grin. Even as a close game came down to the wire, he hardly stood up and never came close to a shout. While the hundreds of spectators huddled around the hardwood got riled up, Bryant remained relaxed.
"He was calm," de Vera said. "He was positive. He didn't yell at the ref. He might have questioned one of the calls, but he did it in a respectful way. He was an example of how people should be at an event. It was astounding to me."
Less than 24 hours later, Bryant and Gianna were among the nine people _ including fellow coach Christine Mauser, two other teammates and their family members _ killed when a helicopter that was bringing them back to the academy in Thousand Oaks crashed into a Calabasas hillside.
In the days since, the sports world has mourned. The NBA's biggest stars have been crushed. The eight remaining players on Gianna's team have been devastated. Even the visiting coach who had only known Bryant for one afternoon was in disbelief.
"I met him for 30 seconds, and I'm freaking crying right now," de Vera said by phone the day after the crash, his voice cracking. "The metaphysical nature of just how life is, I'm a little bit shaken up."
He had just seen Bryant after all, a superstar who was still immersed in the sport he loved, who in the last game of his life looked perfectly at peace.
