Kobe Bryant's passing is something that many people have yet to come to terms with. It's hard to put into words just how much he meant to not just the basketball community but the world as a whole. What makes his death more shocking, is that it was alongside his 13-year-old daughter and seven other people. Their lives were lost way too soon and it's hard to fathom how the families are coping right now. Today, a memorial for Kobe and Gianna was held at the Staples Center and it featured some touching tributes.
Near the end of the event, Kobe's former teammate, Shaq, got up on stage to tell some stories about their time playing together. Shaq told a particularly hilarious story in which he had to confront Kobe for not passing. When Shaq said "there is no I in team," Kobe clapped back and said, "I know but there's a 'M-E' in that motha fucka."
The camera panned to various people in the crowd and they were all laughing hysterically at what Shaq had just said. Shaq's story resonated with the crowd because it spoke to just how competitive Kobe was. Everyone knows Kobe was a competitive guy and the story strengthened that notion further.
In a time where everyone is sad, it was good to see Shaq make people laugh. Kobe brought a lot of people joy and today was a celebration of that.