James letter, inclusion in the Hall of Fame and an agreement with his wife: what they discuss two days after the death of Bryant

New details and the promise of James

Since the death of the legendary American basketball player Kobe Bryant, two days have passed. Police continue to investigate the crash, in which, in addition to the ex-athlete, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, as well as seven others, died.

At the moment, the bodies of all the dead have been discovered at the scene of the tragedy. Their affiliation has yet to be established. In addition, it became known that there were no flight recorders on the helicopter. At the same time, the key to the investigation could be a tablet, which pilot Ara Zobayan used as a means of navigation and verification of the necessary indicators. The National Transportation Safety Council (NTSB) seized it as evidence.

It was previously reported that the main cause of the tragedy was the difficult weather conditions. At the same time, according to experts, the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter is considered one of the most reliable in the world.

At the same time, the American media, citing a source close to the family, said that the basketball player entered into an agreement with his wife Vanessa, according to which the couple never flew together. This was done so that in the event of a tragedy, their children would not be left orphans.

Meanwhile, TMZ spoke about the last hours of Bryant’s life. The five-time champion of the National Basketball League (NBA) was captured with his three-year-old daughter, Bianca, in one of the prestigious shopping centers in Newport Beach, California, which he often visited with his family.

In addition, shortly before his death, Bryant talked on the phone with another NBA star Lebron James. On the same day, the striker beat Bryant in the list of the best league snipers, gaining 33644 points in the regular season match with Philadelphia Seventi Sixers.

Despite the correspondence rivalry on the floor, the athletes had a warm relationship. James painfully took the death of a colleague, and for the first time made a statement only some time after the tragedy. He admitted that it is still extremely difficult for him to gather his thoughts and believe in what is happening.

“I am heartbroken and shocked. I love you, my older brother. My heart is with Vanessa and the children. I promise to keep your legacy! You mean so much to all of us, especially the Lakers, and it’s my responsibility to bear that burden. Please give me strength from above and keep an eye on me. We are still here for me! I want to say a lot more, but now I’m just not able to, because I can’t realize this. See you, brother! ”James wrote on Instagram.

View this Instagram post

Posted by LeBron James (@kingjames) Jan 27, 2020 at 6:43 am PST

Transfer of the Lakers match and inclusion in the Hall of Fame

Representatives of the Lakers also made an official statement, in which Bryant spent his entire professional career.

“Thank you all for the incredible amount of words of support and condolences. This is a very difficult time for all of us. We will continue to support the Bryant family and will share further information as it becomes available, ”the statement said.

The club’s press service said that in connection with the tragic events, the regular season match with the Clippers, scheduled for January 28, will be postponed to a later date. The exact date will be known shortly. This information was confirmed in the NBA.

The tragic events attracted the attention of a large number of people to basketball and the Lakers. Ticket sellers decided to take advantage of this. So, according to the portal Hoop Central, who wants to get to a meeting of two teams from Los Angeles will have to pay at least $ 1,151.

To avoid this situation, Nike declared war on speculators. She temporarily suspended the sale of all paraphernalia dedicated to the basketball player. Representatives of the company explained that resellers can take advantage of the tragedy and resell souvenirs at inflated prices.

This year, Bryant will be included in the Basketball Hall of Fame along with five-time NBA champion in the “San Antonio Spurs” Tim Duncan and one of the best basketball players of the early 2000s Kevin Garnett. This was announced by basketball insider Shams Charaniya with reference to the chairman of the organization Jerry Colangelo.

“This ceremony promises to be the most grandiose in history. We will honor Kobe the way he deserves it, ”Colangelo quotes Charania.

Thanks to colleagues and shares of memory

Without exaggeration, the whole world continues to mourn in connection with the departure of the legend. Fans, colleagues and representatives of other sports convey their condolences to the Bryant family and recall the brightest moments associated with it. Scottish Pippen, six-time NBA champion in the Chicago Bulls, spoke about the first steps of an attacking defender in the professional field.

“Kobe wanted to be like Michael Jordan. And who did not want to? He adopted his style of play and strove to be the best. But behind the scenes he turned to everyone for advice. I liked his approach. Bryant had great respect for the game, teammates and competitions, ”recalled Pippen.

A revealing story was told by a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame Allen Iverson. On his first visit to Los Angeles for a match with the Lakers, he had dinner with Bryant, after which he asked about his plans for the evening. In response, he said that he would go to the gym, while Iverson himself, like many others, was going to the club.

“He has always been such a devoted student of basketball and life. He worked tirelessly. We all have a lot to learn from the Mamba worldview and how my brother lived. I will always respect him as a rival, friend and brother, ”Iverson wrote.

In addition, the ex-basketball player called with humility to accept what happened and continue to live, as this is exactly what Bryant himself would have wanted, distinguished by his optimism. Golden State point guard Stephen Curry shared a similar opinion.

“There are so many questions now, this is a test of our faith ... All I can tell you is thank you. Rest in peace, Kobe and Gianna, ”Curry wrote on Instagram.

Often the death of public figures causes a number of conspiracy theories. Many people recall the events of the distant past, which indirectly could indicate the impending tragedy. If a message was previously found on the network by one of the Twitter users who seven years ago suggested that the basketball player would crash in a helicopter, now ex-defender Tracy McGrady said that Bryant himself predicted his death to some extent.

“Kobe kept saying,“ I want to die young, ”“ I want to be immortalized, ”“ I want my career to be better than Michael Jordan. ” Then I thought he was crazy, since he says such things, ”said McGrady.

In addition to words of gratitude and condolences, many publish photographs of objects reminiscent of Bryant. The winner of the Oscar, director Spike Lee on his Instagram page showed the protocol from the memorable match “Knicks” - “Lakers” in 2009, in which the basketball player scored 61 points. The document has his autograph and the signature “Spike, you are the best. All this is your fault. ” An excerpt from an interview recorded right after the meeting was included in the documentary film “Kobe does the job.”

View this Instagram post

Published by Spike Lee (@officialspikelee) Jan 27, 2020 at 8:44 PST

Representatives of other sports also had the honor of meeting Bryant. Spouse of Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin Anastasia Shubskaya published a photo of a T-shirt and sneakers, which her husband received as a gift from a basketball player.

“Alex, one of the greatest,” reads the signature on the paraphernalia.

In an unusual way, the Minnesota basketball players honored Bryant in a match with the Sacramento Kings. Defender Andrew Wiggins violated the 24-second rule, according to which the attacking team must throw into the opponent's ring. Having received the ball, he set it on the free-throw line, with which Bryant broke Michael Jordan's record for the number of points scored in 2014.

The Wolves took an eight-second violation and put the ball on the free-throw line where Kobe broke MJ's scoring record pic.twitter.com/8hR9rdPs92

Fans around the world also continue to pay tribute to the legendary athlete. In many places spontaneous memorials arose to which people bring candles, flowers, letters, the Lakers attributes and drawings. Graffiti with the image of a basketball player and his daughter appeared in several cities at once. In honor of him, New Yorkers “renamed” 42nd St-Bryant-Park Underground Station to Kobe Bryant-Park.

New Yorkers honor NBA legend by renaming a subway stop 'Kobe Bryant Park' https://t.co/d0XQ6kJqjFpic.twitter.com/VDkPg1ngLn

However, the first official renaming appeared. One of the squares of the Italian city of Reggio Emilia will henceforth be named after the legendary basketball player.

“While his father was a star in the core team, Kobe developed into the youth Regina. His smile and love of basketball became a part of each of us, and Reggio Emilia became his part forever. Kobe himself talked about this a few years ago, he called our city home when he came here. Rest in peace, Kobe, Reggio Emilia will not forget you, ”wrote the mayor of the city of Luca Vecchi.

In addition, the street in another Italian city of Rieta, where the basketball player lived from 1984 to 1986, will also receive his name.

He recalled Bryant and the famous Russian presenter Ivan Urgant. He went on the air of the Evening Urgant program in a jacket with a handkerchief with the Lakers logo in his pocket. The guest of this issue was the head coach of Rubin Leonid Slutsky, who also noted the contribution of the basketball player.

“Generations grew on it. This is a man who personified not just sport, but our modern world, ”said Slutsky.