The Auburn men’s basketball team is in the middle of what is widely considered to be a successful season. The Tigers are 18-2 overall, 5-2 in the SEC and are ranked No. 17 in the country. One would think that the Tigers’ performance thus far would be indicative of morale within the fanbase; however, some fans are focused elsewhere right now.
Auburn students, alumni and fans join the rest of the basketball community — and the world — in mourning the death of former NBA star Kobe Bryant on Sunday, Jan. 27.
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were aboard a private helicopter headed to a youth basketball practice when the craft crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California. Kobe and Gianna were among nine people who were pronounced deceased on site. Kobe was 41 years old.
Kobe’s sudden passing sent waves of shock, not only across the sports community but across the world. Professional athletes took to Twitter to express their disbelief in the sudden occurrence.
NBA teams began their games with a 24-second runoff followed by an 8-second backcourt violation to honor both numbers that Kobe wore, and it seemed as if every social media outlet was bursting at the seams with celebrities and TV personalities offering their condolences to both Vanessa, Kobe’s wife, and the entirety of the Bryant family.
Many students and alumni of Auburn University spent much of their lives looking up to Kobe, and were no exception to mourning his loss.
“Kobe is the embodiment of hard work, and that’s why I love him,” said Alex Barker, sophomore in business administration. “He worked to become better and better from a young age, until he couldn’t compete anymore physically ... he’s a modern day mythological hero.”
Barker said to honor the late Kobe, he plans to “work hard in every aspect of his life as he believes this is what Kobe would do.”
“[Kobe] was not only a star athlete, but an all-around role model for hard work, selflessness, and determination,” said Delaney Baro, sophomore in journalism.
Baro elaborated upon the challenge of coping with the loss of Kobe after looking up to the All-Star for so long.
“It’s hard to cope with something this unexpected,” Baro said. “It just really puts things into perspective about how precious life is and how quickly things can change.”
For some students at Auburn, the loss of Kobe hits a little bit closer to home.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, sophomore Kyle LaBorne recalled his childhood being centered around Kobe.
“My first basketball game was a Lakers game when I was very young, and I don’t remember much, but I remember seeing Kobe and Shaq,” LaBorne said. “He was by far my favorite athlete, and he was the main influencer on me being introduced to sports at such a young age.”
Former Auburn forward Charles Barkley was saddened upon hearing the news.
“For me, this is like losing a family member, to lose Kobe and his daughter, Gianna,” Barkley said in a statement on Monday. “Basketball is a close knit fraternity and I’m just sad. Really sad. My thoughts and prayers are with Vanessa and their girls, the Lakers family and every basketball fan around the world.”
Throughout his 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant won five NBA championships, earned two Finals MVPs and was named to the All-Star game 18 times.
Following his retirement, the former NBA star earned an Academy Award for his short film Dear Basketball.
Despite his accomplishments on the court and in the entertainment world, Kobe was most proud of being a father to his four girls: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri.
Throughout his career, the star guard was clear about how much of an influence his parents were on him and how important being a good father was to him.
“My parents are my backbone. Still are,” Kobe once said. “They’re the only group that will support you if you score zero or you score 40.”
The Auburn Family will continue to grieve alongside the rest of the world over the loss of Kobe Bryant, and the world will surely miss him in many ways. However, as the late legend once said: “Everything negative — pressure, challenges — is an opportunity for me to rise.”
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