On January 26, 2020, millions of people around the world sat in shock. Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest players in NBA history, died in a helicopter crash along with eight other people, including Bryant’s daughter Gianna. The news was devastating and heart-wrenching to many. There was, and still is, sadness for all of those lost in the crash, but the passenger who has been grieved the most is Bryant.
It seems that celebrities or athletic superstars such as Bryant are often publicly grieved more than anyone else. There are those who grieve because of an established relationship, such as Shaquille O’Neal, who called Bryant his “little brother” in an interview with Bleacher Report following Bryant’s death.
“I didn’t want to believe it,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal and Bryant played together for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2004. The two had very different personalities, which put a rift between them for several years, but eventually, they were able to move past this and form a friendship and a bond that lasted until Bryant’s death.
Grief is also expressed by those who did not know Bryant. Many grew up watching Bryant play. He was their idol. They wanted to be him. They found things in his game that they could relate to and use in their own lives. Dr. Matt Brunet, associate professor of sport management and assistant softball coach at Union, is one of those individuals.
“I think later in [Bryant’s] career, when he started to promote the Mamba mentality, I really gravitated toward that because it was kind of that old school, cutthroat, gym rat mentality where I’m going to do everything possible because I’m obsessed with being better than my opponent,” Brunet said. “And in that regard, he was a role model.”
Individuals like O’Neal and Brunet are grieving and in shock for different reasons. But the bridge that connects all who grieve over Bryant is that a sudden death like his is a reminder to never take anything for granted.
“It’s just a reminder how short life can be,” Brunet said.
Bryant’s death was definitely a tragedy. He was a figure loved and known personally by some and idolized by many others. It is hard to make sense of a tragic event like this that stops people in their tracks. It makes people think about death and the reality that life is in fact short. However, Christians can hope in the fact that God can use a tragic event such as Bryant’s death to draw people closer to Himself.
“God can use a situation like Kobe Bryant to kind of wake us up spiritually and to [help us] realize, ‘Man, I could go at any time,’” Brunet said.
Hopefully, whether it be a personal friend or a fan of Kobe Bryant, someone will come to know Christ through this recent tragedy.
