With the tributes honoring Kobe Bryant still growing in number around the world, I would like to take look at the legacy he left behind.

 As I’m sure everyone across campus is aware, retired basketball legend Kobe Bryant passed away on Sunday Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Not only was Bryant’s daughter, Gianna Bryant, a victim of this catastrophe, but John Altobelli, a coach at Orange Coast College, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, and Ara Zobayan were also in the crash that left all passengers dead. 

While the world saw Bryant as a phenomenal NBA player, he also embarked on another career following the end of his basketball one: being a father. Settling down into domestic life after more than 20 years of life on television, Bryant began coaching his daughter Gianna’s youth basketball team at a high-scale training facility he owned, Mamba Sports Academy, and where the helicopter was heading as it crashed. Jimmy Kimmel, a long-time friend of Bryant’s, described Bryant as a family-oriented man: “Once he retired from basketball, his life revolved around their lives. He was very proud of them. He loved being a father.” 

Furthermore, his legacy surpassed being one of the greatest NBA players, as he traded in a career of endless slam dunks for storytelling. In a CBS interview that covered Bryant’s plans following his NBA career, he described his aspiration to be known “as a person that was able to create stories that inspired their children and families to bond together. And for the children to dream.” And that is exactly what Bryant did. 

During his NBA career, Bryant partnered with Nike and the Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club to launch the Mamba League, a youth basketball league that runs for 8-10 weeks, providing hundreds of children with the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of basketball. 

Furthermore, Bryant extended his career further to entertainment, creating Granity Studios, a company that works with writers, producers, and illustrators to produce material that impacts people through sports entertainment. Through this company, Bryant produced “The Punies,”  a podcast based on a group of sports-playing neighbor kids, which aimed to share “important life lessons on how to play with joy and limitless imagination, the way sports should be played”.

Bryant was also an author of Training Camp, the first book apart of the Wizenard Series, which was listed as a #1 New York Times Bestseller. Combining a fantasy world and sports, the book tells the story of a ten-day training camp consisting of characters that Bryant formed himself. Through these efforts, it is evident that Bryant devoted endless time striving to help others. 

Bryant was more than a basketball player, but a loving father who not only wished to spend endless time with his family, but sought to bring people together. 

While it is an immense misfortune that Bryant was unable to fulfill his endless aspirations, many of those who looked up to him were not aware of his admirable endeavors following his NBA career. Rather, many viewed him solely as a man who was phenomenal on the court. While I’m not diminishing the respect owed to Bryant, I think that those posting for him have turned his death into a social activity rather than an immense tragedy that people should be mourning. 

Immediately following his death, there was an upsurge on social media, notably Instagram. Many uploaded or reposted other user’s posts—graphics, photos, and articles—onto their stories, which remain on a user’s account for 24 hours. 

An upsurge in social media is not uncommon following a celebrity’s death. Those who knew them, and those who didn’t, grab their phones to display their supposed grief. Considering that many individuals were unaware of Bryant’s work after his NBA career, the question arises: what exactly are these people then mourning? While many posted on social media with the intent of showing their respect for Bryant, these endless posts ultimately diluted the sorrow sentiments that surrounded his death. 

I will admit that there have been positive effects of social media. Specifically, one post promised to donate money to a fund with every story repost. Social media has the capability of creating a unified atmosphere that brings people who are experiencing similar situations or emotions together. However, the redundant posts of Bryant rather generated an ambiance that pressured people into wanting to be apart of something larger than themselves. Instagram is not a true place to process grief or a place to mourn, and these unnecessary posts contributed to the desensitization of a tragic event.  

While this is a huge tragedy that brought tears to my eyes as I researched Bryant’s life, sometimes the social media posts are completely unnecessary, diminishing Bryant’s admirable accomplishments.

Photo courtesy of foxbusiness.com