Rest in peace, Kobe and Gianna Bryant

I grew up hating Kobe Bryant.

The Boston Celtics versus the Los Angeles Lakers is one of the most celebrated rivalries in all of sports. The two winningest franchises in NBA history have had some of the most legendary battles with some of the greatest players ever: Bill Russell, Jerry West, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Paul Pierce, and of course, Kobe Bryant. Unsurprisingly, the intense competition between the Celtics and Lakers bred fierce conflict between each team’s stars. Bird and Magic weren’t huge fans of each other until Magic visited Bird’s home in Indiana to shoot a Converse shoe commercial in 1985, while Pierce infamously declared himself the best player in the world in 2008 after the Celtics beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals. While Pierce might be my favorite athlete ever other than Tom Brady, he wasn’t better than Kobe. C’mon, Paul. You know that’s The Truth.

As a Boston sports fan that grew up during arguably the most remarkable championship run in history with 12 combined football, basketball, baseball, and hockey titles over a 15-year span, it would be almost immoral for me to not love Boston sports heroes as much as my friends and family and despise the players that beat my favorite teams. I idolized Brady and Pierce as much as my mother and father, and I thought of Kobe and Eli Manning as my worst enemies.

But as I got older, I understood that, like life, sports are more than just a game. I’ll never forget when I found out that Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash with his daughter, Gianna, and 7 other passengers. I couldn’t believe it, and neither could anyone else: my friends, my family, Pierce, Shaquille O’Neal, Brady, Dwayne Johnson. Everyone, whether they knew Kobe well or not at all, was equally saddened and shocked by this tragic accident, and I’ll remember Kobe for two primary reasons: his unrelenting competitiveness (the “Mamba Mentality”) and his willingness to help others.

As a player, my favorite memory of Kobe was in the 2013 NBA All-Star game. I remember watching the game with my dad during our ski trip over school vacation, and we were both amazed at how hard Kobe was playing. For those who are unfamiliar with the NBA All-Star game, it’s typically a pretty relaxed affair for the first three quarters, with a priority of showing off to attract viewers, before the intensity and defense increases in the fourth quarter. But, Kobe being Kobe, he locked down LeBron James from the beginning of the second quarter to the end of the game, in which he ruthlessly blocked LeBron twice. And whose team won? Kobe’s, obviously. At this point, LeBron had passed Kobe for the title of “best player in the league,” but Kobe wasn’t going to give up just yet. Speaking of not giving up, Kobe was such a competitive freak that he even shot two free throws after tearing his Achilles tendon at the end of that season. Seriously, Kobe?

Like I said before, I didn’t like Kobe as a player, but I definitely became a fan after he retired. As a basketball coach in my hometown and a coach at the University of Minnesota’s business school, I’ve realized how much I can help people. Whether I spend a half an hour after practice helping a player with his jump shot or give a student tips on how to prepare for an upcoming interview, it’s incredible to see how just a little bit of advice can make such a big difference for someone else. Kobe demonstrated this more clearly after he retired, evidenced by him working out with NBA players such as Jayson Tatum and Kyle Kuzma, while also coaching his daughters in basketball, which is where he and Gianna were reportedly going when their helicopter crashed. In his book, Mamba Mentality, Kobe wrote: “You could say I dared people to be their best selves. [...] I still challenged everyone and made them uncomfortable, I just did it in a way that was tailored to them.” While Kobe will be remembered as one of the best basketball players ever, his awareness and commitment as a leader by catering his approach to each player makes him one of the greatest leaders of all time as well.

So rest in peace Kobe and Gianna Bryant. And thank you, Kobe, for inspiring us to never give up and to use our knowledge and experiences to make a positive impact on others. You will be dearly missed by all.