The world of Basketball and sports has lost a hero, #RIPKobeBryant.
NBA champion Kobe Bryant has died at age 41 in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter, Gianna and 7 others in California, USA on Sunday, January 26. Now, Cameroonian NBA star Joel Embiid and African football legend, Samuel Eto’o react.
Touching tributes have been pouring from around the world on social media on the shocking death of one of the world’s greatest basketball players of all time, Kobe Bryant, his 13 year old daughter, GiGi and 7 others – who passed away in a tragic helicopter crash outside Calabasas, California on Sunday morning.
Among the athletes mourning and sending prayers to the Bryant family and friends are Cameroonian NBA stars, Joel Embiid, Luc Mbah a Moute, as well as Football icon, Samuel Eto’o and other NBA legends like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Lamar Odom.
76ers star man, Joel Embiid told the world his basketball career literally started because of Kobe and he wanted to be and play just like the legend.
Luc Mbah simply thanked the LA Lakers superstar for inspiring African sports and young athletes who now dream of making it into the NBA family.
His longtime friend and teammate, Lamar Odom also wrote a touching tribute on Instagram referring to Kobe’s death as one of the two most painful moments of his life after losing his son. Infact, he wrote that if it came down to him substituting his own life for his “teachers” he would not even second think it.
See some of the reactions below:
From LAMAR ODOM,
“These picture are just the tip of the iceberg of our relationship. He taught me so many things in life that were necessary on and off the court. On the court he taught me how to carve out defenses and how to take my time. How to make winning my ultimate goal. Off the court he taught me to sign my own checks lol. Of course anyone who knows my story knows I’ve suffered a lot of loss but the only loss I can compare this to is when I lost my son. Even though our relationship wasn’t father/son, it was more like him being a teacher and me being his brother.
I’m glad I got to be the ying to your yang as far as the locker room was concerned. It was my pleasure. I couldn’t even catch my breath today when I heard this news. I just knew if he was in a helicopter crash he would have been the one to survive. Somehow he would have jumped out and landed on his feet. I’m sitting here thinking about when we would be in practice scrimmaging and you would start the jump ball off with elbowing Sasha in the chest…
No way God took my brother this early. I know I been through my own stuff in life with using drugs and not being good to myself. When I went through that Coma situation if God would have came to me and said we would take me and spare Kobe I would have rather that happened. In honor of my brother I’m up at 4am tomorrow to get to the gym! Gigi gone give you buckets!!!! I love you brother @kobebryant”
