Same. I’m more rattled by this than I would have imagined. I think it’s seeing how many other are affected by this is what is making it harder to grasp. Seeing these grown players crying. Knowing they grew up idolizing him as many did. People worshipped this guy. Very sorry for his family and everyone else affected by this tragedy. The magnitude of this event is unmeasurable.
Re: Kobe dead. RIP. Memories thread.
Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2020 7:43 pm
by JJ Slim
Brilliant basketball player but this was my first thought when I heard the news:
Kobe was a bad ass we loved to hate as fans, but respected as a player. He went way to young.
I really liked the way the Suns Griz game started with the Griz running out the 24 second clock and the Suns running out the 8 second clock as well as the fans all on their feet as they all collectively stopped the game to show their respects. I thought it was very moving.
Re: Kobe dead. RIP. Memories thread.
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 3:48 pm
by Flagrant Fowl
There will possibly never be a player I love to hate more than Kobe, and as a life long Suns fan, I think he would appreciate and expect nothing less from me.
Re: Kobe dead. RIP. Memories thread.
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 4:24 pm
by ShelC
Closest thing to MJ we'll see IMO. You can tell he spent hours breaking down MJ's moves to replicate them, down to the same exact spot on the floor where the shots were taken. This is a cool video that popped up a few years ago:
Re: Kobe dead. RIP. Memories thread.
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 4:37 pm
by Superbone
That's awesome.
Re: Kobe dead. RIP. Memories thread.
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2020 8:02 pm
by iLLmatic
I can't watch any basketball without feeling sad. I didn't know the guy personally but this sucks. I still can't believe he's gone.
Closest thing to MJ we'll see IMO. You can tell he spent hours breaking down MJ's moves to replicate them, down to the same exact spot on the floor where the shots were taken. This is a cool video that popped up a few years ago:
It’s cool that Kobe got to play against Jordan 4 times in Jordan’s prime, and then Jordan got to play against Kobe 4 times in Kobe’s prime, with each one in their prime out scoring the other every time. Kobe scored 55 against Jordan in their last meeting. Jordan was 40 years old and Kobe was just too much for his idol at that point.
Re: Kobe dead. RIP. Memories thread.
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 1:44 am
by Superbone
Re: Kobe dead. RIP. Memories thread.
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 6:37 am
by virtual9mm
Maybe I'm a jerk but I remember Kobe Bryant as a despicable human being, a rapist who avoided conviction because he had the money to hire good lawyers. Maybe he improved in his later years, I don't know. But don't expect me to eulogize him just because he was a superlative basketball player.
His daughter is another story. Someone who did pass away before she even had a chance to blossom.
Maybe I'm a jerk but I remember Kobe Bryant as a despicable human being, a rapist who avoided conviction because he had the money to hire good lawyers.
More than just good lawyers. When the identity of the victim got out, she was subjected to severe harassment and death threats, and stopped cooperating with the prosecution.
Re: Kobe dead. RIP. Memories thread.
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 7:15 am
by The Bobster
The other side of the story being that she didn't do well testifying in a mock trial and had another sexual partner with 15 hours of her episode with Bryant.
Do innocent people sometimes settle out of court to make things go away? Sure. Do rich people sometimes buy their way out of jail time by settling out of court? Certainly. She received an estimates $2.5 million for dropping her civil suit against Bryant, was that settlement her goal in filing the charges or was it a case of Bryant just offering enough money to make the case go away?
We're probably never going to know the truth, but Bryant isn't shown in a particularly complimentary light either way.
Maybe I'm a jerk but I remember Kobe Bryant as a despicable human being, a rapist who avoided conviction because he had the money to hire good lawyers. Maybe he improved in his later years, I don't know. But don't expect me to eulogize him just because he was a superlative basketball player.
His daughter is another story. Someone who did pass away before she even had a chance to blossom.
I agree with you 100%. The remark and link I posted earlier addressed the same sentiment. Even though I didn't say it before my thought was that maybe justice was finally served. Harsh I know but that is my opinion. Unfortunately 8 other people lost their lives and I mourn for them. I wish there was more coverage of them and who they were, what they had contributed to this world and who they left behind.
I remember when the case broke years ago and we all discussed it here together. Everyone had different opinions and we litigated among ourselves endlessly. Some of it got pretty heated too. But that was the fun of it and what makes this such a great group.
Re: Kobe dead. RIP. Memories thread.
Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2020 10:37 am
by Mori Chu
It's hard to talk about cases like these. The #MeToo movement in the past few years has been educational and clarifying for a lot of people. A lot of women who come forward with assault allegations have not been listened to, not taken seriously, not believed.
My recollection is that she was examined and they found clear evidence that she and Bryant had had sex, and there was some evidence of rough or aggressive sexual activity that could have been consistent with forced entry or assault. Kobe claimed that she just "liked it rough" or that it was assertive but consensual behavior. Am I remembering it correctly?
I don't think the fact that the young woman took another sexual partner 1-2 days later means she was lying about her story. Often it is hard to process the feelings associated with an assault. A person can go into denial, can seek out self-harmful or destructive behavior, or just have clouded judgment.
I also don't think whether or not she took a money settlement indicates whether or not she was telling the truth. As others pointed out, she came into an international spotlight and had a lot of negative vitriol directed toward her. Fans were really mad at her for threatening the livelihood of their favorite player. And the legal costs were mounting. Taking a settlement to put the issue to an end is arguably a reasonable response in such a situation.
It's a huge dark cloud on his legacy, to be sure. I am glad that he was still able to reconcile things with his family and still be present for his children. That must have taken a lot of time and energy and therapy to get to that point. I just hate to see families break apart.
