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I dive into the death of Kobe Bryant, his career and how it affected me personally.
Kobe’s Death and why it hurts so much
Kobe’s Death and discussion
Joseph Robert: Welcome to the show, everybody, Joseph Robert, The Fantasy Football Counselor, January 27th and I want to dedicate today’s episode to Kobe Bryant. This tragic loss and how and why it affects everybody on the entire planet. Now you may be sitting there saying, well, it doesn’t really affect me. I never knew the guy. Well, I never knew the guy either. And I’m going to explain my feelings on the situation and why it affects me and why it’s making such a global impact. So I want to dive into this. I mean, if you haven’t heard, this is one of those situations where I got to say, you must be living under a rock. I mean, this is probably, in my opinion, the most tragic loss, death of an athlete ever in history, in my opinion. I mean, there’s been some really, really upsetting deaths in the past to athletes, celebrities that have really upset fans, people that have watched these people perform whatever arena they’re in.
Joseph Robert: Robin Williams was a good example of that. Just a quick example, but Kobe’s I think was just on an entirely new level. It was very, very sad, very disturbing, very shocking to see him pass away. Along with that, to add to the tragedy, there were nine people on board of the helicopter. Now if you haven’t heard, again, if you’ve been living under a rock, his helicopter crashed on January 26th. Nine people were on the plane and it went down. There was no survivors including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. And yeah, I got to say, man, this is just a complete shocker. Kobe Bryant, 41 years old, and I guess what really, really shocks people is again the daughter, his daughter being involved in this and what really shocks people is that he’s 41, he had everything going for him, right? The guy’s a are retired five-time NBA champ, arguably one of, if not the best player of all time, 18 time all-star. I mean you can keep going with this guy.
Joseph Robert: He’s a cultural icon and you hear about this death and I guess for me it hits home. I mean this guy had everything going on. He had endorsements, he was involved in TV, music, philanthropy, entrepreneur, business, wrote books. I mean did a lot of things in what I believe is a short life, 41 years old. So why did this affect everybody? Why did this really hit home? Why is this all over the news to the degree that it is? Because a lot of people say, well, he’s a player, he’s just an athlete. Well, I think this goes well beyond him just being a player. Like I’m saying, why does it hit home with me? I’m going to explain that.
Joseph Robert: So first and foremost, again, I don’t know Kobe Bryant, so I can’t really speak about him personally, but I have seen what he’s done on the court. So that’s a big thing for me, being an entrepreneur myself, I’ve seen what he’s done on the court and to me, I think he’s got the strongest work ethic ever. Like one of if not the strongest work ethics for a player that I’ve ever seen. So that’s a huge thing for me. So I can see that and get inspired by it. So a lot of people that are sad about it are just people that were inspired by his performance. Yes, you never knew him, but you were inspired by what he has done on the court, which is phenomenal.
Joseph Robert: I mean, what he’s done on the court again spanned 20 seasons and five-time NBA champ and the list goes on and on. His accolades go on and on, on the court. So that’s a big thing, first and foremost, is the work ethic. And I’m inspired by his work ethic. I mean, we’ve seen it before where he’s got injured and he comes back, he’s played with the flu, he’s played with ankle injuries, he’s just pushed through on a mental level.
Joseph Robert: And I know Tim Grover, one of his coaches and mentors, if you haven’t read the book yet, one of his books, Tim Grover talks about Kobe Bryant and how he’s a cleaner. Cleaner, meaning he is just above the rest. He is on Jordan’s level essentially with mindset. Right. So yeah, Tim Grover, I can’t remember the name of the book right now. It’s not coming to me. But yeah, look that up. Tim Grover’s book. And he talks about how amazing Kobe was and how he overcame adversity. So that’s a big thing, right? So yeah, I think it’s called a Relentless is the name of the book? It just came to me right now. So check that book out. It talks about Kobe Bryant.
Joseph Robert: Another thing is like you look at him and you see the family man. And that’s a big thing for me because I for one, am a father of a two and a half-year-old daughter, almost three and a seven-month-old son and Kobe left behind three daughters and a wife. To my understanding, I believe his oldest daughter turned 17, his youngest was seven months old and he also has a three-year-old. So that really resonates with a lot of people because there’s a lot of fathers out there and they’re thinking, man, I have a daughter and this is tragic and this is sad. It’s really, really disturbing. So that’s another thing that people can relate to.
Joseph Robert: So I think it’s mainly, he is a cultural icon. Yes, he’s done a lot. But on top of that, you want to add the grim reality that life is short. It doesn’t matter who you are, how much money you have, none of that matters when you die. And that’s the bottom line. I think that’s what’s really hitting people as well with this whole entire Kobe Bryant situation.
Joseph Robert: Now, when I first heard I was at disbelief, and again, some of those factors of disbelief included the fact that he was such a young player, had everything going for him. You never would have imagined something like this and again you top on that he’s a cultural icon. He’s done so many things. He’s an entrepreneur and me growing up in high school, I watched him, I watched him play and he’s been playing for such a long time. He’s been such an impact and such a figure that’s been on TV for so many years. So I guess these are all factors that play into why we are so devastated by this. Now five-time NBA champ, it’s going to be very hard for anybody to catch up to what he’s done. I mean we already saw LeBron just pass a record of Kobe Bryant’s, I believe in points. And ironically Kobe passes away a day after his record is broken.
Joseph Robert: So I think the investigation is going to continue to go on. I don’t know what happened here. I mean the helicopter from what I heard, and again, a lot of stuff I’m still trying to dive in. The investigation continues here is that that helicopter was built in 1991. So my first question is like, people that are buying helicopters, why aren’t they buying newer ones? I mean 1991. That’s like what, 29 years old. That’s insane. So I’m wondering if there was an issue with that helicopters, an S76 helicopter. So yeah, that’s a big question. And again, there are so many questions surrounding this entire situation as the entire world is in shock. They’re saying that fog was a big factor in the crash. Rain and fog, bad weather. I don’t know. I don’t know.
Joseph Robert: But all I know right now is that again, I’m in shock. The world’s in shock. We lost a cultural icon and I can’t say he was a good person because I never met him. But what I can say is that he looked like a good person from what I saw, from the testimonials of people around him, from the reactions of his friends and peers. And I would guess that he was a phenomenal person. And he’s done a lot for the community. He had that community group, the Mamba Group with girls playing basketball. He was involved in a lot of things. Okay. And it’s just very, very sad to see a player like this pass away, a family man pass away.
Joseph Robert: So I mean, yeah, January 27th today. It’s the day after. I think more news is going to break in regards to what happened to Kobe Bryant here. But again, I just kind of want to pay tribute to him today in this episode and ultimately just talk about how it’s affected me and how it’s affected the community. Again with me, again, it affected me because I have a daughter, right? I am similar in age. I’m younger than Kobe Bryant but when you think about where you are and how much you’ve achieved and how much more time you could have had, that again hits home for a lot of people.
Joseph Robert: So I mean, August 23rd, 1978, died January 26, 2020. 41. I mean that is just so young. And what really, really hurts me is that his daughters as well are going to suffer with this, right? Yeah, they’ve got money. But what is money do for you when you don’t have your father there? I mean, three daughters, one of them was 13, Gianna passed away. It’s just absolutely tragic. And I’m talking genuine here and I am trying to keep it real with you guys because it’s just beyond shocking. And again, I’ve seen other players die and athletes and celebrities pass away. It’s a common occurrence. But when you look at all that Kobe Bryant has achieved and his family and the sudden death and everything that he’s done, being the cultural icon that he has, I guess that’s why it really, really hurts. Not only me, but I’d say the entire world.
Joseph Robert: So I just kind of wanted to pay tribute to him. I’m very upset about this. And that’s the thing about death, losing my dad back in 2015 to a heart attack. The thing about it is is that you can’t go back, you can’t erase, you can’t undo what’s done. And a lot of people say, well yeah, a lot of people die of cancer and they struggle and they fight and they suffer and it’s a long battle. And a lot of people say it was such a brutal process. It’s better that that person went quick and to those, I say, yeah that is bad. And I think sometimes it’s worse for the family when it goes suddenly because you don’t really get to say your goodbyes. You don’t really get to say I miss you, I love you. And you never really have that time to say goodbye. It’s a shocker to the people that are still alive when somebody that you love dies. Similar to what happened to my dad, sudden heart attack, right. There are no warning signs for the most part in most situations.
Joseph Robert: And this is the case of Kobe Bryant, the sudden death is what’s really striking everybody. Now, if Kobe Bryant had cancer and it was a drawn-out process and it went for months, maybe years, okay that’s kind of expected. We expected that and it definitely would’ve softened the blow on this. But then again, you’re looking at a guy who’s a cultural icon, who’s in his prime with a young family pass away, suddenly in a helicopter crash of all things. I mean, like I said, man, you’re a millionaire. I don’t know what his net worth was, but it was estimated to over 350 million back in 2016. I’m assuming it’s over 500 million as of now. And you’re looking at a guy like that who’s got everything going and then this happens. Just absolutely tragic. And again, I was at a loss for words when it first happened.
Joseph Robert: So, I want to send out my prayers, my best wishes, anything I can. I mean not that words matter because I know when you lose somebody it’s like okay yeah you guys are telling me all this but it doesn’t bring them back. And I guess the only thing to his family right, at this point is time. I mean times the only thing that can heal something that’s tragic and I mean that’s it. I mean I just want to wish his family the best, keep them in your prayers and to anybody else that’s lost somebody, I wish you guys, you know all the best and I understand that time heals. Okay. That’s what I’ve learned.
Joseph Robert: It never really goes away in my opinion. I think when you lose somebody as close as a father, parents, brother, sister, anyone that’s that close to you, it never really goes away. But I do want to tell you there is a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel and there is a sense of I would say comfort and knowing that they have moved on to a better side. Whatever it is you believe in, they have gone to a better place and they’ve graduated into a better place. So I want to deep dive today and talk deeply about the situation again, a complete shocker made my stomach turn upside down. And again I had one listener come on into the comments and say, “Hey, you don’t even know him. How could you say you feel sick?”
Joseph Robert: And again, this podcast episode hopefully clarifies how much it hits home and how people can relate to this situation and compound that with a cultural icon that you knew for over 20, 30 years or however long you knew of Kobe Bryant. And you’ve seen his work, not only in the community but on television, radio, social media, everywhere. So you didn’t know him personally, maybe, but you definitely knew of him and you knew of his accolades and accomplishments. So again, my prayers and wishes of the best go out to his family, his wife, Vanessa, his daughters and everybody that had the privilege of being around Kobe Bryant. Again, from what I hear, just a phenomenal person. I’m going to go out there and get his book. I think he wrote a book, Mamba Mentality. I’m going to go in and read that.
Joseph Robert: And I think that success leaves clues. So if you are looking at an athlete like this, you’ve got to their documentaries. I mean these are some of the best in the world at what they did. Why not take in a book and get the information, get into their thoughts, what made them tick? What made them successful? We sometimes study and watch biographies of murders and bad people, right? Well, why not focus on successful people and read their biographies? Read about them, read about their philanthropy and entrepreneurship and their ventures and their struggles and their adversities. Right? Because you can learn a lot from people like Kobe Bryant. And again, success leaves clues.
Joseph Robert: Kobe Bryant passing away January 26th, may he rest in peace. May his 13-year-old daughter Gianna rest in peace and everybody on that plane, including, I can’t even pronounce his name. John Altobelli, he was a baseball coach, his wife, Keri, their daughter, Alyssa, Christina, and everybody else on that plane. I mean, I don’t even know what to tell you. Very, very, very sad. And again, may he rest in peace and I just had to do a tribute to him in this episode.
Joseph Robert: So make sure you guys tune in, subscribe. And we will be doing a Superbowl preview on Thursday. Got the Super Bowl coming up. This is completely overshadowed that and really put life into perspective for not only me but for probably the entire planet. Kobe Bryant, rest in peace. I never had the privilege to meet you, but I’m very, very sad for your loss and we’re going to remember this for our entire life. Thanks, everybody. Have a great day considering.
This is arguably the saddest and most tragic loss in sports history.
