On January 26, 2020, hearts around the world grieved for a man who transformed the world of basketball as we know it. Kobe Bryant’s death brought basketball players old and new to tears, and memorials were erected across the country to honor this legend.

   Kobe died while traveling in a helicopter with eight others to a AAU basketball practice. Among the passenger’s was Bryant’s own daughter, Gigi, an up and coming basketball star with a possible future in the Women’s National Basketball Association.

   The ripples of this historic event were felt here at LFA, and upon learning of Kobe’s death, many students couldn’t believe what they were hearing. “I was sitting in the college workshop when I learned” said Junior Rohan Miglani “and I honestly thought it was a joke.” With media blurring the lines of right and wrong, students couldn’t do anything but hope Kobe’s death was another media hoax.

   One hour later, Kobe’s death was confirmed to the nation, which seemed sureal to many students, including Miglani, who added “they say legends never die, but that fateful day in January, one of the greats did.” Within the day, students flooded social media in writing ‘RIP Kobe’ and ‘you left too soon’ as comments, and the presence of his death could be felt across the LFA campus.

 A Kobe jersey was hung on the wall in LFA Junior Tri Vien’s dorm room after the news. Vien, a basketball player, remarked on the memorial and the loss, “we put up the jersey to honor his past and his contribution to the sport.” As for Kobe’s legacy, Sophomore Kenzo Shiraishi assures that his presence in the basketball community will remain unchanged.

   “[He was] the first person who I ever watched play the game of basketball” remarked Shirashi, and along with many others at LFA, Kobe is “the first person [I] admired, he was an icon”.

   Bryant’s popular “mamba mentality” stressed the importance of hard work. Bryant’s legacy will live on through this, and it will continue to impact the world of sports as well as our personal lives for years to come.