Social Media Pays Tribute To Kobe Bryant On The Four-Year Anniversary Of His Death

Where were you when you heard the news that Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash?

I had just wrapped the second day of a two-day ultimate frisbee tournament as a junior in college. A teammate of mine opened his phone, and learned that the Black Mamba died in Calabasas, CA, along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other passengers. My teammates and I couldn’t believe it. 

Shockingly, that was four years ago today. I can’t believe that in the blink of an eye, we’re that far removed from the death of one of the most iconic NBA players of all time. Since the tragic event, the families of the victims and the NBA world have largely processed their grief and continued on with life.

But anniversaries of these sort of things bring back some pain and nostalgia for many people. As such, social media was full of tributes to Bryant today.

Bryant spent much of his upbringing living near Philadelphia. Naturally, he was a devoted Eagles fan, and predictably rejoiced when they defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. When Tom Brady’s Hail Mary pass fell incomplete, he was elated. An Eagles fan page retweeted a video of Bryant's reaction when it all happened.

Bryant didn’t just limit his legendary excellence to the NBA hardwood. He won two gold medals as a member of the 2008 and 2012 USA teams at the Summer Olympics. The NBC Olympics page tweeted a video of some of his best moments from those two tournaments.

Of course, the Los Angeles Lakers also paid tribute to one of the best players in franchise history.

It’s certainly a sad day in the sports world for many people. We definitely lost Bryant, Gianna, and all the other victims far too soon.

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