Chapman basketball remembers Kobe Bryant
The death of Kobe Bryant has brought an outpouring of grief and reflection on his influence across the world, especially within the basketball community. Among that group are players on Chapman’s own teams, many of whom felt connected to Bryant through his philosophies on the game and life. Here are some of their stories.
Alex Rogat grew up in Cologne, Germany and later went to high school in Austria, developing a particular affinity for watching Bryant play.
“I grew up overseas, so we didn’t really get to watch a lot of the games. The only games that would come on were the Lakers in the finals, with Kobe,” Rogat said. “He always felt invincible. Those 3 a.m. workouts, he felt like a machine. Everything was just calculated, literally like a machine, just like an engine running nonstop. And for something like that to happen to him, it’s hard to describe because he was the least person, by far, who I would expect that to happen to.”
Anthony Giomi, a sophomore forward, started thinking more about his own relationships as a result of Bryant’s death.
“The day right after (Bryant) died, head coach Mike Bokosky brought us in here and we had a really good talk about how life is going to go on. I started thinking about every day, when I come in, do I show these guys appreciation like if they weren’t going to be here tomorrow,” Giomi said. “I’ve been reaching out to everybody that I’ve lost connections with, just like ‘Hey man, hope you’re doing well.’ Life is so precious. Kobe had everything, and it was taken away in an instant.”
Hayden Moore’s first pair of basketball shoes were one of Bryant’s signature sneakers. As a Lakers fan, the junior guard tracked Bryant throughout his career.
“He’s just a figure that was always there in the basketball world. Kobe was a guy that was untouchable; he had gotten to another level mentally than everyone else, and you saw it on the court,” Moore said. “Hearing his stories about later in his career, how he knew it was coming to an end and he was just sending things out business-wise, (making moves) and learning how to write - he was just so calculated.”
Lucy Criswell recognized Bryant as a fantastic player, scorer and competitor – yet also, as a strong advocate for the women’s game and mentor to his daughter Gianna Bryant. The senior forward spoke about one particular viral video, in which Bryant can be seen on the sidelines of a game explaining a concept to an engaged Gianna.
“What stuck out to me most about that was that I know a lot of parents, a lot of role models, and sometimes there’s too much pressure and it takes the fun out of sports,” Criswell said. “(Gianna) always seemed like she was having fun, she was laughing during the conversation.”
Chandler White idolized that “Mamba Mentality.” The Lakers’ star’s competitiveness and work ethic inspired White to play basketball when he was younger.
“When Kobe was actually playing his career, he had this different persona to him, everyone thought he was this arrogant, cocky guy. At the time, it kind of seemed like that, but I loved that, because in basketball you want to be confident,” White said. “I remember I’d always go home every day and watch Laker games. I would go outside in the front yard to practice Kobe’s moves, pretending I was Kobe. You can’t take any of those moments back.”
Marissa Dunn has always believed in hard work. She can’t understand people that aren’t willing to give extra effort, she said. That, and her California roots, helped her feel connected to Kobe Bryant.
“I constantly watched his YouTube videos in awe and tried to do his moves. I listened to so many podcasts and so many articles of his mentality,” Dunn said. “The Mamba mentality is so real, for any athlete, and it’s so inspiring because it’s literally committing your life to one thing. One quote that I use all the time from him is, ‘I don’t speak the same language as people that don’t work hard.’”