Kobe Bryant was taken from the world far too soon. He and his daughter Gianna passed away in a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of seven other people. It was an unspeakable tragedy that we almost still can't believe, just two and a half months later. Today, the NBA is remembering Kobe as April 13th marks the day in which the Los Angeles Lakers legend played his final game. This is the fourth anniversary of Kobe's infamous 60-point game, otherwise known as, Mamba Day.
To celebrate the occasion, Vanessa Bryant took to Instagram and posted the video of Kobe's final "Mamba Out" speech at the Staples Center. This was an iconic moment in Kobe's history and considering the circumstances, it now elicits tears and memories of one of the greatest basketball players ever. Vanessa used the video as a vehicle to celebrate Kobe while also wishing that he and her daughter were still with us.
Per Vanessa Bryant:
"My husband worked his ass off for 20 years. Gave it his all. All he wanted was to spend time with our girls and me to make up for lost time. He wanted to be there for every single milestone and special moment in our girls lives. He only got to enjoy 3 years and 9 months of retirement. We had 2 more daughters, he won an Oscar, he opened Granity studios, he became a 5x best selling author and coached Gianna’s basketball team in that time. She worked hard and gave her all 7 days a week just like her daddy. I wish I could back to that morning, every day. I wish they had a normal local game on 1/26. Life truly isn’t fair. This is just senseless."
While the loss of Kobe Bryant still hurts, there is no denying that his legacy will forever live on. All of his highlights and contributions to the game are immortalized and that's a testament to just how great he was.