Some events that happen in the world are so monumental that most people can remember exactly where they were and what time it was when they were struck by the news. It was no exception when the reported death of basketball legend Kobe Bryant Jan. 26 sent shockwaves throughout the country. With his reputation as an all-star athlete, a mentor and a role model, those both inside and outside the basketball community were devastated. 

Chapman women’s basketball head coach Carol Jue will forever remember exactly what she was doing when hearing about Kobe Bryant’s death. 

 “I remember just playing basketball and I got a text that said, ‘Oh no, Kobe …,’” Jue said. “I just stopped right there.”

So many others, particularly in Southern California, were equally affected by Bryant’s Jan. 26 death after a helicopter carrying Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others crashed in Calabasas, California. In recognition of the basketball legend’s impact, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to officially declare Aug. 24 “Kobe Bryant Day.”

Why Aug. 24? During Bryant’s 20-year career – all spent with the Los Angeles Lakers – he wore the numbers eight and 24, both of which were retired by the Lakers in a ceremony Dec. 18, 2017. Bryant started out his career in the number eight then switched to 24 before the 2006-2007 season. The switch, Bryant said in a 2017 interview with ESPN, was to symbolize a change in maturity level and work ethic.

“He showed another side of him, a different way to lead,” Jue said. “He was starting to reinvent himself … he found a way to use his mind and who knows what else he had planned to do.”

According to an article in The Los Angeles Times, the purpose of Kobe Bryant Day is to continue his legacy. It can be done through community building, helping children reach success and overall inspiring others to be great. 

After his playing career, Bryant pursued multiple endeavors, some in the sports realm and others in the film industry. In 2018, Bryant won an Emmy and an Oscar for his animated short “Dear Basketball,” a detailed journey through his basketball career and personal evolution.  

In Jan. 2019, Bryant partnered with Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, to create the Mamba Sports Academy, where he coached his own daughter Gianna. His dream was for women’s basketball to gain the same public recognition as men’s basketball. At his memorial service in the Staples Center Feb. 24, Sabrina Ionescu, first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft, spoke on his behalf. Her presence and relationship with Bryant allowed her to gain more appreciation from NBA fans.

“Maybe that’s why he was born with daughters, to help us get the recognition,” Jue said. “Sports technically are dominated with men, but women are coming about and he was helping that … he did it in front of a lot of people.”

After Bryant and Gianna’s death, his philanthropic organization Mamba Sports Foundation was renamed the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation Feb. 13. In an Instagram post, the foundation reiterated its commitment to “further Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s legacy in youth sports and beyond.” Yesterday, on what would have been Bryant’s 42nd birthday, Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation and Nike released a short tribute video celebrating his legacy. 

Jue, who has been a Lakers fan since the age of three, was able to see Bryant’s whole career and how he impacted the residents of Southern California.

“In Southern California, we were lucky to have (him),” Jue said.