Kobe Bryant, Kyrie Irving

First off, my condolences to those whose lives have been forever changed as a result of the Helicopter accident that took the lives of NBA Legend Kobe Bryant, his young daughter Gianna, and 7 other passengers, whose lives were just as important. I wasn’t a Kobe fan but I always respected the work. We’ve all heard the legendary stories about his work ethic & competitive fire. I found myself listening to more interviews of him after retirement because he was so willing to discuss the inner workings of his mind. I think I was curious. Sadly, I’m in shock, as someone that appeared invincible, and whose daughter we thought would run on with the “mamba mentality” torch is no longer here. Words are hard to come by.

There are so many layers to this story, so many stories within the story. But what caught me today was the NBA. As we all know the world forces us to move on in-spite of, actually I think that was something Kobe ascribed to. Keep pushing! Today, with clouds of sadness hovering over arenas, NBA games went on as scheduled. No cancellations, players were asked to compete…perform even, despite the pain from losing a beloved member of their fraternity. But one guy decided to pause…Kyrie Irving. The Brooklyn Nets were scheduled to play the New York Knicks tonight. What normally would be a nice rivalry game changed after the news about Kobe. While 24 second violations happened across the league Irving decided he needed at least 24 hours. I’m not sure this will get much discussion in the news but HATS OFF TO KYRIE IRVING for taking some personal time. For those that aren’t NBA heads, Kyrie was Kobe fan, he respected his game, and when the opportunity came he built his own relationship with Bryant. When Irving won the title in 2016, it was Bryant he called to enjoy his champagne celebration. Kyrie lost a friend, a confidant, and he wasn’t going to override his grief for work.

Now let me say this, for many playing today was therapeutic. It was helpful. They were able to honor Kobe as they best saw fit, for some the court was their place of sanctuary in the middle of a very emotional time. I get that. I respect that. I understand that. But as someone that may have needed to take a day. I was so glad to read that Kyrie had the courage to do so. He had the where with all to not follow the norm but do what was best for him. FYI: I am NOT a Kyrie fan. This though, this got my attention. I had to respect this decision, I appreciated him for allowing himself to grieve his friend, go through the pain of the moment, and allow everything to NOT be ok. There is no “right” way to grieve. For each of us it can be similar but there will always be slight differences.

I appreciate Kyrie taking time. It speaks to him understanding his own mind, body, soul & spirit. It further reveals how he marches to the beat of his own drum, doing what he believes is best for him. My prayer is the NBA offers help to these players. Many will need someone to speak with, Kobe’s reach within the community, the brotherhood was vast and wide. There will be countless personnel affected by this tragedy. I HOPE the NBA sees this and offers its family, players, executives, etc. the type of help they may need to process this sudden sadness.

We do not own the rights to the photo above, it was copied from Nets Daily for reference only.

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