Wow
Yeah. Iâve been watching sports all afternoon . how is this not all over the place?
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Ya I just found out through FacebookâŚ
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What a tragedy. Devastating. Iâm shaken by this awful news.
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Me too man, my friend said his 4 kids died too??? But that isnât confirmed yet. I hope that isnât true. Horribly sad day.
Correction, his daughter died too. 13 years old. Crushing.
Is the daughter confirmed? Iâm reading all sorts of conflicting reportsâŚall 4 daughtersâŚRick FoxâŚJoel McHaleâŚ
Looks like it is. So sad.
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Yup daughter is confirmed. So sad⌠think they were on their way to a basketball game.
His last tweet was to congratulate LeBron for passing him on the all-time NBA scoring list?
Class.
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He was a classy dude, on and off the court. Everyone said he was such a nice guy. The world lost one of the greats. So many peoples childhood hero passed today. Heart breaking:(
Mine is Peyton Manning and Van Damme. But still, Breaks my heart to see Kobe go.
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John Altobelli, the father of a Red Sox scout who was also head coach of the Brewster Whitecaps in the Cape Cod Baseball League from 2012â2014, was one of the people killed in the helicopter crash Sunday that killed Kobe Bryant.
Altobelli, his wife Keri, and daughter Alyssa were among those who perished in Southern California.
In what Bryant said was âone of the lowest moments of my career,â he recalled losing the 2008 NBA Finals at TD Garden, when the Celtics routed the Lakers 131-92. At that point, Bryant had only ever won a championship with Shaquille OâNeal, and he said he was âburning with frustrationâ as the clock ticked down and he wondered whether heâd ever again have the teammates he needed to win a title.
âI look over, and Bill Belichick is walking toward me,â Bryant said. âI had never met him. Never spoken to him. He had courtside seats across from our bench, and with 20 seconds left in the game, he came over and said, âDonât you worry about this. I know what you are going through. We just lost a tough one ourselves [to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII]. Just bounce back. Be ready next year.ââ
Bryant said he and Belichick have spoken since, with Belichick even coming to the Lakersâ locker room to talk coaching. âI thought it was really cool,â Bryant said. âRespect across our professions.â But if Bryant had to choose a member of the Patriots to see at Thursday nightâs Lakers-Celtics game, it wouldnât necessarily be Belichick. Bryant said he was hoping Rob Gronkowski would show up and share some of the good times. And Bryant was sticking to his line that he never wants to be a Celtic, and that he thinks his Lakers teammates leave him better prepared for a title run. He wouldnât even switch his football rooting allegiances to Boston. âIâm an Eagles fan, for better or for worse,â he said. âIâve got my fingers crossed that this Chip Kelly dude will work out.â Sounds about right, seeing as some people think Kelly is waiting to take over in New England once Belichick leaves. Come on, Kobe. Just say you love Boston.
Read more at:
https://nesn.com/2013/02/kobe-âŚ-comes-out-for-celtics-lakers/
Unreal. So sad
Apparently it was super foggy.
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There was a couple nice tributes in basketball games tonight.
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Before the Câs/Pelicans game in New Orleans they had a tribute and a floor sized flag during the Anthem and then both teams, like others, served up 24 sec clock violations. Very nice.
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Ray Allen
11 hrs ¡
As Iâm trying to gather my thoughts my heart is hurting. I just got off a long flight to find out that Kobe is no longer with us! This hurts so much! He was one of my brothers. I am so sad for all of us, we lost a great one today! Kobe was the ultimate competitor and I loved him for it. He made all of us step our games up. I just wish I could have one more moment with him to tell him thank you! Thank you Kobe for the example you set! Thank you for always bringing your best, regardless of who was on the other side. Thank you for showing us all what greatness looked like! You will be missed! #8 #24
âIt was hard to focus out thereâ: News of Kobe Bryantâs death casts pall over Pro Bowl
By Jeff Howe Jan 26, 2020
11
ORLANDO, Fla. â As the sun set on a surreal day in Orlando, Patriots Pro Bowl players Matthew Slater and Stephon Gilmore tried desperately to process the deaths of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in California.
It was less than two years ago that Bryant met with the Patriots at Gillette Stadium during organized team activities. Thatâs when the former NBA star spoke to the team about passion and dedication, about life and accomplishments, and most importantly about the playersâ responsibility to intertwine their professions and their families.
Thatâs what Slater really took away from that day in May 2018. The message rang truer than ever during and after the AFCâs 38-33 Pro Bowl victory.
âOne thing he said to me,â Slater said, âthat really stuck out about that day was, hey, when youâre at work and youâre working on your craft, youâve got to give everything you have. Youâve got to be disciplined. Youâve got to be willing to sacrifice everything. But when you go home, youâve got to bring the same energy and passion and focus to the time you spend with your family. That really stuck with me. That was the one thing he said that stuck with me. Because sometimes thatâs hard to do as an athlete. You come home. Youâre tired. Your kids want to run around. Man, youâve just got to hold onto these moments that you have.â
Slater grew up in Californiaâs Orange County, where Bryant was revered.
âAs a youngster growing up in Southern California, Kobe was the man,â Slater said. âWe all loved him. Iâll never forget the first time I saw him. We were at a movie theater in Orange County. He was dating his wife at the time, young kid still. We saw him walking around, and we were little kids just chasing him around like, âThereâs Kobe!â We didnât get too close. We were just in awe of who he was as an athlete, the way he entertained. You think about all the things he did outside the game of basketball. He lived life. He lived a full life. You hate to see it come to an end. But Iâm certainly thankful for the many moments of joy he provided me as a fan and as a supporter of sports.â
Slater and Gilmore brought their families to Orlando for the Pro Bowl, taking advantage of the weekâs laid-back atmosphere and festivities and the amusement parks in the area.
It was just four days ago that Slater and I gushed about our families, the experiences of our respective professions during the season and the offseason, and the necessary desire to prioritize those close to us. So we revisited that topic again Sunday after the Pro Bowl, this time with even more perspective.
It was as real of a conversation as you can have on a day when reality seemed to pause.
âHonestly, it was hard to focus out there,â Slater said. âWe found out like right before the team intros. Guys didnât know if it was real or not. Tonight, Iâm just going to go hug my wife and my kids as tight as I can, tell them I love them, look them in the eyes and just enjoy the moments I have with them. Because again, none of us know when itâs going to be our time.
âOftentimes, we get so consumed with life and whatâs happening, careers and family, that you forget how precious life is, how short it is in the grand scheme of the world and of history. Life is a very precious thing. Tragedy doesnât discriminate. If it had been anyone, it would have been sad. Obviously, a man who has provided so much joy for so many people over the years, has been a tremendous entertainer and ambassador for the sport, ambassador for athletes everywhere, itâs really, really saddening. It really is. And his daughter being on the helicopter as well. It really brings things back into perspective that life is so much bigger than what we do on the court or on the field. Youâve got to hold onto every moment that you have.â
News of Bryantâs death began to circulate just minutes before the teams hit the field at Camping World Stadium. Jaguars defensive lineman Calais Campbell mentioned it during the AFCâs pregame prayer, but players still werenât sure if it was real. Many players checked their phones, but the official word of Bryantâs death wasnât relayed until later in the first half.
During the two-minute warning in the second quarter, the stadium video boards flashed the news and asked for a moment of silence in Bryantâs honor. Fans then chanted âKobe! Kobe!â for the first of countless times throughout the afternoon. At least one player knelt in disbelief, while another removed his helmet. And during the game, players celebrated by mimicking Bryantâs jump shots and flashed his jersey numbers with their fingers.
âWe werenât really sure if it was real or not,â Slater said. âI think we were all hoping it was fake, honestly. They mentioned it during the game, and it breaks your heart. It really does.â
Gilmore echoed Slaterâs thoughts and said he really appreciated the day with Bryant in Foxboro. It was the only time Gilmore ever met with Bryant, but he felt they made a real connection.
âI really got to know him,â Gilmore said. âIt was a great time. He talked to me individually. I learned a lot from him, just talked the game, life. Itâs just sad. Itâs sad. I didnât believe it at first.
âHe worked for everything he had. He was very talented, but his work ethic really stood out to me and his mentality, going into each and every game, how he prepared. Thatâs one thing that stuck out to me.â
Bryantâs message that day was already strong enough to make a lasting impact on the Patriots. But the way he conveyed his appreciation for life and family held even stronger meaning Sunday when the NFLâs annual all-star game became an afterthought to the news that stunned the stadium.
âItâs tough,â Gilmore said. âHe has left a big legacy in the game of basketball. His mentality â went into every game talking about how he attacked life and how he could put the bad behind him, learn from his mistakes and be better as a person and as a player. It goes to show you that youâve got to really live life every day, enjoy life, because it can happen to anybody. Itâs just sad heâs really gone.â
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They wanted to wait until next of kin was notified but TMZ ran with it. most places respected the wishes.
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