This is a collection of social media tributes to Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others who died in a helicopter crash three years ago today.
"We have to remember to heal. And sometimes it's hard to remember. But that's how we heal." The message came as current President Joe Biden paid tribute to the nation's victims of the coronavirus.
A year after news broke that Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others died in a helicopter crash, those words conclude our annual survey of the NBA icon's life, death and legacy.
Those words ring truer than ever on the third anniversary of that tragedy, as athletes, teams and fans around the world took to social media to remember.
Although Bryant later retired as an Academy Award-winning filmmaker and best-selling author, there's no telling how much interest he had in the field. ESPN Stats & Info tweeted a reminder Thursday.
The former Los Angeles Laker was also a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, was also known as a Barcelona soccer fan. Former teammate Pau Gasol was born in Barcelona, and Bryant recalled speaking Spanish with him after he was traded to the Lakers.
On a recent afternoon, Bryant took the court for Gianna's doubleheader at Mamba Sports Academy, the athletic training facility he helped build two years ago in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He and his daughter were going to another game with baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Kerry and their daughter Alyssa. Payton Chester and his mother Sarah; basketball coach Christina Mauser; and helicopter pilot Ara Zobayan.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving tweeted all the names Thursday.
Bryant was a defender in the WNBA, and her daughter Gianna was an avid player and fan of UConn women's college basketball. The two women's games were played together.