It was shocking to hear that former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. Reports also say his daughter was killed, too. There are reports that seven others were killed in the crash.

You can read the Associated Press story HERE.

Kobe was 41. His daughter, Gianna, was 13. Rest in Peace to all.

Kobe was just beginning to be free of the grind of being a pro athlete. He had so much more to offer, but now he’s gone. He will not be forgotten.

I always enjoyed watching Kobe play – he would let those around him know if he didn’t like their effort. He was a perfectionist. That’s what made him great.

In one game he scored 81 points. He scored 60 points in his final game! He has 5 NBA Championships and two Olympic Gold medals. He was an 18-time all-star. He was drafted into the NBA right out of high school.

Wow-what a career!

One of the things I most respected about Kobe is he stayed with the same team his entire career – 20 seasons with the Lakers.

We all know and will remember him as Kobe. There are just a few great athletes that we know just by hearing their first names – Tiger, LeBron, Serena, Venus, Mike, Shaq, Pele, Magic, Kareem, and Larry to name a few.

Kobe is one of them. He attained the status as the first name only athlete by being one of the greatest in his profession.

Los Angeles Times sports journalist Bill Plaschke has written a great column about Kobe’s death. Read it HERE.

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