​Kobe Bryant Tribute at East

By Elisha Jenkins
 
Kobe B. Bryant was a professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2016). Bryant has many accomplishments, including 5 NBA titles, 2 NBA Finals MVP, and 2 Best NBA Player ESPY Awards.
 
Sadly Bryant passed away with his daughter Gianna (Gigi) and 7 other people in a fatal helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. He and 8 others were on their way to a game tournament at the Mamba Sports Academy.
 
All around the world, many people including other professional basketball players made a tribute for Kobe. Shaq, Dwyane Wade, and Jennifer Hudson are just three who paid a tribute to Kobe Bryant. The basketball team here at school also paid a tribute to Kobe by making a shirt with #24 and his name. Senior Zechariah Harris-Scott and the team decided to do that because he said, “We all knew about what Kobe brought to the table as a basketball player. He was a legend and after his death, we just felt like it was the right thing to do.”  Moving forward in basketball Zechariah mentions that he will “remember what Kobe taught me and just have a mamba mentality to the game.” According to Bryant, the mamba mentality means a constant quest to find answers. It’s that infinite curiosity to want to be better, to figure things out. Mamba mentality is you’re going, you’re competing, and you’re not worried about the end result. Kobe’s contribution to the sport moved people in many different ways such as motivation, dedication, ambition, determination, and so much more.