What We Can Learn from Kobe
News of a helicopter crash that took the life of Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and 7 other people rocked the basketball world and far beyond on Sunday.
A day later, it still doesn't seem appropriate to post recruiting related news.
Instead, maybe today should be spent thinking about the families devastated by this loss, reading and watching the tributes to those people, and thinking of the lessons to be learned from their lives.
With Bryant, there were obviously many. His performances on the court were as legendary as his work-ethic. For all of his individual accolades, he seemed to understand that the truest measure of success in this game was his team's success. His "mamba mentality" became a brand on-to-itself that encouraged others to emulate that obsessive work-ethic and dedication to their passions.
If you're in high school now, maybe some of Kobe's greatest days on the court were your first experiences watching basketball. If you're in college or a young adult, it's very likely that you grew up watching his greatness on the court.
Off the court, there was a complicated history after allegations of sexual assault in 2003 that ultimately resulted in the criminal case being dropped and the civil case being settled out of court.
There was also plenty to emulate though. The father of four daughters, Bryant had become a quiet champion of gender equality in the sports world in recent years and appeared to be a very active, proud, and loving dad. He was also a very cultured man who spoke multiple languages and seemed to embrace people from all backgrounds and cultures, which is surely an example for others to emulate in these days of would-be division, as a tweet from BABC so appropriately pointed out Sunday night.
While the world of basketball and beyond continues to reel from this tragedy that took a legend, his daughter, and 7 other people far too soon, the unavoidable reality is that tragedy happens everyday. So maybe the biggest lesson is to not take life for granted, don't spend your time being consumed by negative emotions or on issues that ultimately don't matter, and be sure to maximize the time and experiences you have with the ones you love.