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Kobe Bryant is dead at the age of 41

Baby Shoes

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When a celebrity dies, I usually find it sad but it doesn’t linger with me the way this one has. As I’ve stated before, I grew up a Celtics fan but also took to following the Suns when my family moved here at a young age and games across country weren’t as accessible as they are now. Kobe put a dagger in the heart of both those teams and gave me heartache but he was always someone I loved to watch when not playing my teams. I remember there were rumors of Kobe going to Phoenix during the Shaq feud and I was going nuts.

I think, as others have mentioned, I was super young when Kobe came into my knowledge and he was such a force, it seems surreal. I remember the girls swooning over him as a rookie pretty boy that was coming in behind Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel to his rise of becoming a legitimate superstar. I remember my Nintendo 64 coming with his game. I saw his whole career, watched a good chunk of his life play out on national TV. Then you add in the sadness of his daughter being there and everything else.

I’m curious what continues to come out with the flight as it really feels to me it should not have been allowed. I’ve seen the special clearance but had read things like LAPD didn’t have their own helicopters out that morning with it being too dangerous.

Nike halted sales of his product lines for now to try to figure out the future as well as trying to temper 3rd party sellers, as everything with his name tied has been selling out online and popping up places at ridiculous markups from people trying to make a buck on his death. I had told my buddy Saturday night that I was pricing a certified autograph of his when LeBron passed his record, trying to find the right time to buy. That led to updates following his passing Sunday which obviously were astronomical increases.

I had to step back and not watch any of the sports shows yesterday because it was just too much but recorded them so I can visit later. I don’t know if this one will ever set in.
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

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Hawk 34 said:
Whitney, Amy and Jackson had been train wrecks for years leading to their deaths. It’s the suddenness of Kobe that has been the jarring part. How they all died played a factor in the heaviness we have felt from the aftermath, that’s the thing people are talking about.

I don't particularly agree with this, but I don't want to turn this thread into a pissing contest, so I'll back off. Consider it dropped.
 

909

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Hawk 34 said:
Whitney, Amy and Jackson had been train wrecks for years leading to their deaths. It’s the suddenness of Kobe that has been the jarring part. How they all died played a factor in the heaviness we have felt from the aftermath, that’s the thing people are talking about. This isn’t a death value ranking system people are having.

It’s also that it wasn’t just Kobe, it was his daughter who’s on tv all the time, and all those other families he was doing a kindness for. It is impossible to understand this.
 

King Kamala

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https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1222238922564165635
Spencer Dinwiddie is going to switch his number in honor of Kobe.

I thought the idea of the NBA retiring Kobe's number(s) seemed far fetched at first but between this and The Mavericks doing it, it seems like plausible.
 

909

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I think it shouldn’t be retired, but the people who wear it should only be doing it in his honor. The logo or the MVP award name should be changed though. Jerry West doesn't even want it, and considering how many players follow in MJs legacy, a fade-away jumper is a completely appropriate tribute that extends to Kobe and further.
 

King Kamala

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Yeah. I'm of the mindset that only retired number in North American Sports should be Jackie Robinson's. I know the NHL retired Gretzky's, which I sort of get since he was GOAT in his sport by a pretty significant margin (and #99 is a weird ass) but it sets a weird precedent if Kobe gets it for his accomplishments. and I'm sure Kobe wouldn't want something like this just cause he died young.
 

909

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https://twitter.com/Alex__Schiffer/status/1221614662334189568

Kobe would want basically none of what has been said, and would probably want his daughters death to be focused on way more. Which again, is part of why this is painful. As a Lakers fan I always felt like this guy grew up at the same time as me.

As it relates to the crash itself, I meant to say this earlier, but after reading the details I%u2019m not surprised they crashed. LA is not a very flat city, there are a lot of elevation changes here. It%u2019s dangerous enough that the pilot should have set it down in the street. Also, the flight started at John Wayne, so it isn%u2019t really like they knew they would be flying into super dangerous fog. Fog can be different around here based on small distances alone. The other day I was driving home at 5 AM and encountered some fog that was so bad I couldn%u2019t see five feet in front of me. That only lasted for around a half mile.
 

Smartly Pretty

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ASG MVP is probably the award you'd want to name after him. I didn't know Jerry West didn't like being the logo, so I guess that'd be alright. League wide jersey retirement seems a little odd, especially because it's two numbers.
 

Baby Shoes

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I think All Star MVP is the way to go. They named the Finals after Russell already. Though he should’ve gotten more, he only won one regular season MVP. He’s tied for most all time ASG MVPs with four and with it being next month, think it happens.
 

Precious Roy

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I'm still in shock about this and avoiding most everything Kobe related with any of the players talking about him or any of the tributes because it's going to make me cry. I've already got teary several times just reading about it. I can't even tackle any of the tribute podcasts. This is surreal as fuck. I slept in late on Sunday and when I checked my phone I saw a breaking news alert about "Kobe Bryant, 41..." and that's all I saw and the wrestler death spidey sense went off, but still wasn't expecting it to be what it was when I clicked on it

Kobe's "2nd act" he actually became one of my favorite players when he transitioned into his "later Jordan" phase and was getting by more on IQ, skill and drive. Became an ironman playing through all sorts of injuries most guys would sit out weeks or months for. He earned my undying respect at that point after hitting a nadir with me in that playoff game where he decided not to shoot. He became an inspiration for me personally at that point as a hooper in my late 20's/early 30's, losing my athleticism, playing hurt, using my IQ and craft to keep hanging with younger cats. I feel like true hoopheads, whether you loved or hated Kobe you had to have mad respect for him as a player.

Definitely one of the greatest athletes of my lifetime, and being only 3 years older than me I literally saw his entire career going back to when he first got hype in SLAM magazine in shit when he was in HS. I can't even think of an athlete death comparable to this in my lifetime. KOBE was MASSIVE in China, all over Asia, all over the world.

And yea, I don't have any IRL Laker fan friends, so 909 and stillfly were the first people I thought of

:(
 

Precious Roy

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a couple more thoughts....his daughter who died, his other 3 daughters, his wife who I think he'd been with since HS? I can't even imagine that kind of family tragedy

and all the other people on the chopper. the young woman coach who died had young kids and a young widowed husband.

I like the idea of changing the logo. I always thought it should be MJ after West was retired, but given how Kobe patterned his game and in a lot of ways his life after Jordan the Kobe fadeaway would be dope

It's also sad to think about how much more Kobe had to give to the world and to basketball. He'd already begun to do so many things, I thought we'd see another 30-40 years of him being a prominent figure in the NBA and the sports world in general......
 

Precious Roy

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oh, and since I didn't see it mentioned the Italian Basketball Federation declared a week of mourning in Italy in honor of him. Have seen street graffiti in his honour in various places around the world
 

909

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Also, you know, seeing Jerry West torn up like this really brings some thoughts I don't know how to put into words. The architect of the memories that my grandfather, dad, and myself all shared. This is an 81 year old man going on TV numerous times and telling the world that he's never been more devastated. Old people often die because of stuff like that, and I hope that doesn't happen.
 

Mickey Massuco

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8sT4i6AByA

Ernie asks the first question like they're doing some regular nostalgic tribute and Jerry immediately is like fuck that. this is too real, hard to watch
 

Precious Roy

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posting about Kobe was cathartic for me because I haven't talked to anyone about it yet IRL

https://wfan.radio.com/media/audio-channel/kendrick-perkins-2

rec everyone listen to this about him talking Kobe. specially 909 and stillfly
 

909

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mApXd2zf2cU&

This lady went HAM

Also, now I think it’s a good time to have somewhat of a conversation. I think that in the aftermath of this case, as a society we have increasingly come to believe that shaming those who accuse, whether their accusations are correct or not, is disgusting behavior. While I do and probably always will believe that Kobe was (was is going to be hard to get used to) not a rapist, the way in which he and his defense attorney decided to handle the case was completely reprehensible. I think everyone knows that now, but people didn’t use to know that for whatever fucked up reason.

What I also think is fucked up is that there are people who have never shown anyone any good side of themselves, like Tyreek Hill for example, who get away with doing something wrong just because the events so happen to take place in a city where they play sports and the investigators favorite team is the team they play for. Ones conduct in the aftermath of doing something wrong, or being accused of doing something, is very important in determining how that person should be remembered and what their legacy should be. Someone like Tyreek Hill is merely building up to actually killing another person.

At the same time, if Kobe was any other black man without money, he would have been sent up the river whether or not he did anything. That is something else we have all come to realize about this society.


The media, and their roles in these things, is something we have not yet really come to examine. And after they reported that Kobe’s whole family died, and that Rick Fox died, we really need to. They are doing actual psychological damage to people when they do shit like that.
 
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Thanks for posting that.

And yeah, people act like we don’t have reprehensible history of white women accusing black men of sexual assault and everything that comes with it

That lady Felicia Sonmez has had a questionable past with sexual assault allegations, so at this point she’s just looking like an unempathetic opportunist. All she’s doing right now is tweeting other people’s articles and hiding behind their words. Not the best person
 

909

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Another thing that I find really crazy is that many people help others conduct serial rape, like in the case or Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein, and all those people get a fucking free pass because it’s easier for people to discuss how Epstein didn’t kill himself. This society needs a serious reality check in how we deal with these problems.

I don’t think the reporter should have been suspended, but vulturing onto someone in the aftermath of a tragedy, knowing that person died with their daughter while going to coach youth basketball, is really weird behavior that I will never understand. I also wonder what’s going to happen to all those kids and how they’re affected.
 
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I don’t wanna make it about all of this but someone like Evan Rachel Wood is exactly what this situation is about. It’s about making things about themselves. Or saying something that will get you attention. David Bowie, Woody Allen cool. Why? Because me me me.

https://theblast.com/109231/evan-rachel-wood-tweet-calling-kobe-bryant-a-sports-hero-and-a-r

The hypocrisy and double standard isn’t lost on people.
 

909

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Man I really hated her character in Westworld so now I don’t feel bad about that at all.
 

909

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I also think Bowie gets a pass because almost every musician from his era was a pedophile. These also aren’t accusations but undeniable facts. Guys like Elvis married people who they “dated” as little girls. So it’s hard to just pick on one guy. But for her to perform at his tribute thing, that’s that shit right there.
 

909

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I just realized how that sounded and I should point out that Bowie was scum and should not get a free pass.
 

Precious Roy

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Firmino of the 909 said:
I just realized how that sounded and I should point out that Bowie was scum and should not get a free pass.

go fuck yourself

this is the KOBE thread man. Bowie talk can be had somwhere else......off a cliff.....dying in a fire

my take on the rape thing is same as it ever was. he cheated on his wife and fucked a girl at a ski resort, and she screamed rape after the fact

call it like I see it. And let's not act like he wasn't dragged thru the fucking mud hard on a fucking allegation

shit man

I know he cheated on his wife, and that's a shitty thing to do. But do I think he's a rapist?!? nah. Didn't buy it then not buying it now.

I can definitely believe that with the money he had it made it easier for him....but at the same time.....more complicated. because if he was just a random dude who fucked a girl it wouldn't have even been a thing

I guess the rape allegation came down to they were fucking and he put it in her butt and she said no and he still did it......which, I don't know man, he should have maybe stopped when she said no, but now we're definitely in he said she said territory which like, whatever. He's clearly still guilty as all sin to some folks and they will never change their minds on it
 

Precious Roy

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and I definitely don't want to shame or blame the girl, but I don't think she's a victim of a crime. She wanted the Mamba and she got too much than she asked for

that's my 2003 hot take

BACK THE THE PAST MARTY
 

King Kamala

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Nothing I read about Bowie's dalliances with underaged girls put him in the "FUCK THAT PIECE OF TRASH FOREVER" category to me. Definitely to be condemned for sure but not #canceled. Let's revisit that on the 5th anniversary of Bowie's death next year.

I don't think the assault should go without mention in obituaries but I don't think it should be the main story and his legacy. He acknowledged his mistake, which is more than 99% of perpetrators and it seemed like he went a long way towards rectifying his behavior. Being a father of four daughters probably went a long way towards changing his viewpoint too.

99% of the people who were like "But KOBE was a Rapist!" are virtue signaling whites. Cancel culture fucking sucks, people.

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/wrestling-in-with-kobe-bryants-forgotten-apology/
I posted this earlier but I figured I'd repost since it got a bit lost in shuffle on Page 2.
 

alkeiper

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Kobe was flying above Los Angeles in his private helicopter. He seemed to come away from the allegation intact.

I'll preface all this by saying I didn't like Kobe Bryant. He was the 76ers opponent in the 2001 Finals. He always struck me as arrogant and aloof. I acknowledge that I could have been completely wrong on that. We generally don't know who people really are. Then the rape allegation stuff came around and well, of course I knew Kobe was an asshole. This settles it. Like I said, this is all perception.

The rape allegation itself. Victims deserve to be heard. If she believes she was assaulted, then she was assaulted. But I think the world is a little too complicated itself to paint in black and white. Bryant made a mistake. He was obviously not a serial predator. And from what I have read in the aftermath, he seems to have genuinely grown as a person coming out of all that. I'm trying to be as fair as possible. But all the accolades for Kobe as a human being confuse me, to be honest.
 
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