GW Hoops / RIP Kobe Bryant

**Posted by dmvpiranha** 1/26/2020 3:03 pm

Absolutely shocking. No words right now.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28569438/kobe-bryant-dead-helicopter-crash

**Posted by Thomas** 1/26/2020 3:16 pm

I happened to be checking twitter right as TMZ announced it, and I was hoping that Kobe wasn't on the helicopter, but now all the news stations have confirmed it. Even though Kobe retired a few years ago, it still feels like a current NBA player has died because of how great he was. This is just horrific news!!

**Posted by The Dude** 1/26/2020 3:24 pm

Tragic, devastating news.

RIP Kobe and 4 others

**Posted by Sons of Liberty** 1/26/2020 3:42 pm

Stunning. Terrible.

**Posted by BC** 1/26/2020 4:04 pm

Truly sad. Gotta make helicopters safer.

**Posted by GW0509** 1/26/2020 4:04 pm

Just announced one of Kobe's daughters was also on the helicopter when it crashed; on the way to one of her travel basketball games. Absolutely heartbreaking.

**Posted by Thomas** 1/26/2020 4:46 pm

BC wrote:
Truly sad. Gotta make helicopters safer.

Since Kobe's passing was announced, I've heard that Kobe would use his helicopter to travel to and from games when he played because sitting in a car for the 2 hour drive from his home to the arena would have a negative effect on his body(I thought the opposite was true, riding in a plane/helicopter was worse for your body). I'm assuming he used his helicopter to travel everywhere around California at some point, including to coach his daughter's AAU team today.

Down below is a picture of the Mamba athletic facility where Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna(who also died in the helicopter crash) were on their way to participate an AAU game. Kobe coaches his daughter's AAU team. This picture was taken after they found out the tragic news.

https://twitter.com/RealALEXAN/status/1221532080409985024

Last edited by Thomas (1/26/2020 9:07 pm)

**Posted by The Dude** 1/26/2020 11:33 pm

Sad, and powerful.

Carpe Diem. Tomorrow is never a guarantee.

**Posted by Gwmayhem** 1/27/2020 11:48 am

Devastatingly horrible news. I was personally less of a fan of his than many others but can certainly understand why he was as beloved a figure as he was. Plus, the family not only loses its patriarch but a 13 year old daughter and sister as well. Not to mention the others who perished. Just a sickening story.

One report I saw indicated that TMZ broke the story before the family was notified. Journalism has a disgusting side to it which is now all about getting the story out first at all costs. It appears that other media outlets did wait on the story to make sure that the family knew first. TMZ executives should feel mortified by this but chances are, they are instead in congratulations mode for being first.

**Posted by GWRising** 1/27/2020 12:41 pm

Gwmayhem wrote:
Devastatingly horrible news. I was personally less of a fan of his than many others but can certainly understand why he was as beloved a figure as he was. Plus, the family not only loses its patriarch but a 13 year old daughter and sister as well. Not to mention the others who perished. Just a sickening story.

One report I saw indicated that TMZ broke the story before the family was notified. Journalism has a disgusting side to it which is now all about getting the story out first at all costs. It appears that other media outlets did wait on the story to make sure that the family knew first. TMZ executives should feel mortified by this but chances are, they are instead in congratulations mode for being first.

First the important thing ... Kobe, his daughter Gigi, and the other victims. Terribly tragic and has really shaken a lot of folks as it should. As a father, to me, the most troubling aspect besides the obvious was the notion that if Kobe (or the other parents on that helicopter) knew what was happening in those last seconds, he couldn't do anything to protect his daughter in that moment. As a parent, we would die a thousand deaths to save our child from just one. I can't imagine what would be going through his mind right up until the moment of impact. The horrifying thought of that scenario has made this all the more terrible. I hope his wife and other children as well as all the families devastated can find strength in the coming days, weeks, months, and years to soldier on.

As for the media, I'm not surprised. The media has become so lost, even the so-called mainstream media. Journalism is dead. Objectivity lost. Personal feelings and opinions rather than facts carry the day. Where is Joseph Welch (who once asked Joe McCarthy: "Have you no sense of decency sir") when you need him? That question should be posed to just about every journalist and news organization in America. This is just another sad example.

**Posted by Thomas** 1/27/2020 4:32 pm

I agree with GWRising and Gwmayem about SLEEZY media outlets like TMZ! I know that TMZ is now considered mainstream because the morality/standards in the culture have lowered dramatically in recent years, but breaking the news about Kobe Bryant and the 8 other victims before the authorities can notify the victims next of kin is just despicable. I'm assuming TMZ has a large paycheck ready for first responders, EMT Workers, hospital workers, security etc. in order to get the scoop on a celebrity who has died, been seriously hurt, checked into a facility, or gotten arrested which is how they are able to pull of such things.

Adding on to what Gwmayem wrote, I wasn't the biggest Kobe fan either, but you have to respect his talent, greatness, longevity and most importantly, his work ethic. Kobe was always the best(or 2nd best when he played with Shaq) player on every team he played on, but he always worked/prepared as if he was the 12th man trying to earn a spot on the team, which is something to be admired and the type of attitude that every athlete(and probably every person in general) should have.

**Posted by GW Alum Abroad** 1/27/2020 5:36 pm

BGF should probably move this thread to the "other" category.
A great hoopster is gone but let us remember he scored a grand total of zero points in college bastketball. And if you know of news reporting, you do not wait to get clearance from authorities to report it. I think news of Jefrery Dahmer´s demise broke before authorities had notified his family and confirmed it. Was that "sleazy"? (And, yes, TMZ is sleazy and unethical, but also sometimes accurate).
Also, as noted by the BBC in its obit (link below), Bryant skated on rape charges, was fined for homophobic comments and missed more shots than any player in NBA history.
The titles and gold medals and public persona were assets, and he could ball. Sad news, indeed.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/basketball/51265909

Last edited by GW Alum Abroad (1/27/2020 5:37 pm)

**Posted by GWRising** 1/27/2020 5:45 pm

GW Alum Abroad wrote:
BGF should probably move this thread to the "other" category.
A great hoopster is gone but let us remember he scored a grand total of zero points in college bastketball. And if you know of news reporting, you do not wait to get clearance from authorities to report it. I think news of Jefrery Dahmer´s demise broke before authorities had notified his family and confirmed it. Was that "sleazy"? (And, yes, TMZ is sleazy and unethical, but also sometimes accurate).
Also, as noted by the BBC in its obit (link below), Bryant skated on rape charges, was fined for homophobic comments and missed more shots than any player in NBA history.
The titles and gold medals and public persona were assets, and he could ball. Sad news, indeed.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/basketball/51265909

You can be sleazy and accurate. The question was never accuracy. The question was should it have been reported when it was reported in the manner in which it was reported?

I am always disappointed by the constant need to immediately examine a person's whole life within moments of their death. I think out of respect for family and friends it is too raw a time to begin painting the entire picture. The news media would be wise to heed the adage of not speaking ill of the dead at least for a few moments, especially in the case of a complicated sports figure who had significant positives as well as negatives. If the Washington Post can refer to Al-Baghdadi as an "austere religious scholar" surely they can find it in their heart to refrain from posting negative information about Kobe at least until he is put into the ground. However, apparently everyone has a scalp to get these days and the quicker the better. Sad.

Last edited by GWRising (1/27/2020 5:47 pm)

**Posted by Thomas** 1/27/2020 10:07 pm

I agree with GWRising, it's WAY too early to start bringing up the negative aspects of Kobe Bryant's life. Kobe's life just ended in a helicopter crash, along with his 13-year-old daughter and 7 other people on their way to a 13U AAU game. For those people who want to discuss the negatives about Kobe Bryant, you have the rest of time to bash him, why do it in the hours or days after he dies?? People may not like Kobe or think it's cool to mock a person who just died(like on social media or a local college's message board whose mascot is a turtle!! LOL) but at least consider the feelings of the loved ones that Kobe left behind.