Chloe Brooks and Tamara McConnell

Writers

Very few men and women carry a legacy that can impact those all around the world, but Kobe Bryant was one of those few.

Bryant, the iconic five-time NBA champion basketball legend who played for the Los Angeles Lakers, suddenly passed away, along with eight others including his 13 year-old daughter Gianna, on Sunday, Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

From the moment he was drafted straight out of high school in the 1996 NBA Draft to his retirement in the 2016 season, Bryant electrified arenas with his captivating and unique talent and mental toughness.

Bryant referred to his mental toughness as the “mamba mentality,” a mentality that has embodied playing to the highest potential and has since inspired basketball players around the world.

Some of those inspired basketball players are found at Marlow High School, such as junior Lane Johnson.

“As a player, Kobe’s talent was unlike anything the NBA had ever seen, but his mentality is probably what inspired me the most,” Johnson stated. “No matter who he was playing against, he thought that he was the best player on the court at all times. The best thing about this mentality is that it wasn’t arrogance – it was just genuine confidence that he was going to get what he wanted on the court one way or another.”

Johnson also explained what he has gained from Bryant’s long-standing legacy and how it has compelled him to pursue life changes outside of basketball. 

“From his legacy, I hoped to gain a true love for the things I do and to not waste a second of my life,” Johnson stated. “You never know when something could happen that would turn your life upside down. I don’t know how long my life is going to last, so I’m going to spend the time I have doing everything to the best of my abilities so that I may be able to truly make an impact on this world.”

Bryant’s mentality was not the only characteristic that set himself apart on the court, his talent has been categorized as one of the greatest in the history of basketball with 33,643 points racked up in the NBA’s all-time scoring list, putting Bryant at fourth place.

For junior Gatlin Sanders, Bryant’s star-studded skills and his one-of-a-kind work ethic has left an impact on Sanders’ own basketball career.

“I learned to respect the game and do what I love,” Sanders stated. “He was constantly inspiring and touching on everyone, so it has taught me to try to be more inspiring towards others and always try my hardest at everything I do.”

Sanders was not the only one Bryant’s unique abilities left an impact on at MHS. 

Freshman basketball player Parker Hayes described how Bryant’s vigorous determination has influenced her view on her own calling.

“Kobe inspired me on the fact that he came up from working hard,” Hayes stated. “He wasn’t just a natural athlete; he worked for his level. It has motivated me to work harder at basketball as well.”

Reinforcing the extraordinary work ethic that motivated students such as Hayes, Bryant was infamous among his team members for his grueling late-night practices, where he often got up as early as 5:00 in the morning, hours before the scheduled workouts, to hone his skills.

It was Bryant’s intense need to constantly enhance and refine his capabilities not just on the court but in his everyday life that has deeply affected the world’s young, aspiring basketball players such as senior Seth Aguilera. 

“He was a great all-around player, teammate, leader, and father,” Aguilera stated. “His legacy was unreal.”

Despite the sudden tragedy, the world, including MHS students, can find solace in the impact Kobe has left behind.