I chose to write a tribute Kobe Bryant because of my love for basketball and Kobe Bryant. He, in my opinion, is one of the most talented and selfless basketball players of all time. Now he is no longer with us, and the world has been left shocked. I’ll remember him, because of what he did and how he did it. 5 x NBA Champion. 2 x Finals MVP. NBA MVP. 18 x All-Star. 2 x NBA Scoring Champion. 4th on All-Time Scoring List. These are just a few of the achievements by Kobe Bean Bryant, which he achieved over the span of his entire 20-season tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers, which are legendary in the history of the NBA. He is known for his famed “Mamba Mentality”, a do-or-die situation where one does anything to win. He is known for his philanthropy, starting numerous basketball academies for children, his own and others, encouraging them to be the best they can be on and off the court. He is known for a lot of things. Or, at least, he was. On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant, his daughter, Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash en route to a tournament at Bryant’s Mamba Academy, in Calabasas, California. He was left behind by his wife, and three daughters. The victims names were Alyssa Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, John Altobelli, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser, Ara Zobayan, and Kobe and Gianna Bryant. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement: “The NBA family is devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna … For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning. He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are legendary … But he will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability. He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share it with future generations of players, taking special delight in passing down his love of the game to Gianna.” Now, people look back and remember. “Hey, wasn’t Bryant the one who scored 55 points in a half and finished with 81?” “Isn’t he the one who scored 60 in his last game?” “Isn’t he the one who always encouraged someone to be the best they can be?” Kobe Bryant is but a memory; he will always have a place in our hearts, and everyone’s hearts. In the NBA, teams took 8-second and 24-second violations to honor the numbers of Bryant’s jerseys. The Lakers and Mavericks have retired his two numbers, which means that no one will ever wear that number again. Staples Center, the team’s arena, has been turned into a massive tribute area for fans to pay their respects. And LeBron James, to make his absence hit your heart, delivered a heart-wrenching speech, in tears himself, to the crowd in the Lakers first game back after the Mamba’s death. He quoted Bryant’s famous saying “Mamba out,” and added “not forgotten.” But the part that struck me the most was the end. “Live on brother.”
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
Daily Creativity #2: Start a Dream Journal
Create a notebook or document dedicated to recording your dreams. To begin, write down as many dreams as you can remember from your life, then try to record your dreams daily as soon as you wake up. Use this repository as inspiration for a poem, story, or piece of art.
Daily Creativity #1: Sharing Hope using Spoken Word
Radio producer Cathy Fitzgerald is inviting everyone to share their experiences during this time, through the power of spoken word. She wants to hear your voices talking about how you are feeling, how daily life has changed, and what you are doing that brings joy, comfort, courage, solace–and hope. She is collecting recordings from people all over the world, and making a radio show, Life on Lockdown, out of them. Everyone is welcome to join in. Simple messages take work.* So, for today’s activity, think about what you might like to say in your message to the world about who you are, where you are, and the things that make or keep you hopeful during these times. Write down some of your main ideas and feelings, and craft them into a few short sentences. Read your message aloud a few times to make sure you like what you hear and how it sounds, and then record it on your phone or other device, or directly from your computer using the tool on the LOL site. You can do this activity either by yourself or with other members of your family. If you are happy with what you’ve made, and you are doing this activity close to the date it was posted here, you can submit it to Life on Lockdown (LOL) for possible inclusion in the radio program for the UK’s BBC. Read all the details on how to do that at the LOL website. You could also (or instead) make your own recording and submit it to our Bloggers category for inclusion on the Stone Soup blog, at any time. * Lots of famous people through history have been credited with signing off their letters with an apology for it being so long, but they didn’t have time to write a shorter one. If you are looking for an extra bit of distraction, you can read more about that here: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/28/shorter-letter/
