Instantly after the death of Kobe Bryant on January 26th, the entire world was hit with a wave of sorrow and grief for the star who was an inspiration and idol to many.  No less than an hour after his death, athletes and celebrities around the world began to pay tribute to their friend and family, Kobe Bryant.

On the day of his death, sports games were played across the world with stars such as Neymar, Trae Young, Tiger Woods, and many others.  In their games, they paid tribute to Kobe through their performances and speeches about him post-game.  

“You could see when players found out about his death, how it affected them.  Even with helmets on, you could see the sadness on their face,” says Jonathan Duarte (10).

During the Pro Bowl, a football game between the best stars in the NFL, players such as Za’Darius Smith and Davante Adams paid tribute through in-game celebrations in honor of Bryant’s passing.  Packers’ outside linebacker and other defensive players imitated Kobe’s signature shot after a defensive sack as a commemoration. Davante Adams saluted the number 24 and pretended to dunk the football over the goal post as a tribute to Bryant after his second-half touchdown.

“Those guys played their hearts out. One moment they had tears in their eyes, the next they were driving hard to the rim, ” says Deven Landrum (10).

In the NBA, players across the league were heartbroken at the news of Kobe’s death,  Kobe was a former teammate and brother to many players and coaches and his death was devastating.  Teams would take 8 and 24-second clock violations in honor of Kobe’s former jersey numbers. Players who were impacted deeply by Bryant paid tribute through performances, Trae Young and Devin Booker took 24 shots each and combined for 81 points, Kobe’s career-high.

Even all the way to the tennis courts, we saw the effect of Kobe’s life accomplishments.  Tennis player, Nick Kyrigos, wore Kobe’s number 8 jersey as he competed in the 2020 Australian Open.

 “His accomplishments and skills aren’t what inspired me the most.  I liked how he played every game with his whole heart and even off the court never stopped trying to be his best,” says Reynaldo Farias (10).