Kobe Bryant was more than just a basketball player.

He was a father of 4 and an idol who donated millions towards charity. Kobe was a human being like everyone else and inspired many children and adults to push themselves for what they wanted in life.

If you didn’t know Kobe, he was one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers and won 5 championships along with 1 league MVP, 2 Finals MVP’s and had 17 all star game appearances. Unfortunately, he was involved in a very serious helicopter crash on Sunday, January 26. The horrific crash sadly killed all 9 people on board including his 13 year old daughter Gianna Bryant and two of her basketball teammates.

Gianna also known as “Gigi”, was becoming a bright star in the sport of basketball. She always sat court-side and listened to her father analyze the game. Gigi’s game had drawn many college scouts’ attention from schools such as  the University of Connecticut, which is one of the best, if not the best, girl’s college basketball team in the nation. Their death’s had such an impact that Uconn had a special ceremony for her death.

Kobe impacted so many people that every team that played the day of his death took a 8 second or 24 second violation in honor of the numbers Kobe wore, 8 and 24. Some people say he made the world stand still. He had such an impact that they are considering changing the NBA logo to him.

Since then, many players have worn his jersey number or have written R.I.P Kobe on their sneakers. A 15 year old named Mikey Williams was so inspired by Kobe that he got a tattoo with one of Kobe’s greatest quotes and the numbers 8 and 24. Many athletes and non athletes have been affected by this tragic passing and Kobe Byrant will be dearly missed.