On this day a year ago, the world tragically lost Kobe Bryant — a future Hall of Fame NBA player and, more viscerally, a worldwide icon — as well as his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others when the helicopter they were in crashed in Calabasas, California just outside of Los Angeles.
The deaths sent intense shockwaves throughout the sports world, and a collective mourning began for lives taken far too soon.
Bryant was an 18-time all-star who won five NBA championships and spent the entirely of his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Here are some of the tributes to the Lakers legend that have surfaced on social media this Tuesday, a year later.
Te echo de menos, hermano... pic.twitter.com/qa6oxrwdwJ
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) January 26, 2021
Family is Forever pic.twitter.com/PH6R4sCrve
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 26, 2021
Kobe will always be my @Lakers brother for life. pic.twitter.com/7WC9x6h4Dl
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 26, 2021
#KobeBryant’s support for women’s basketball was unparalleled. Many players including @KayNurse11 was able to share a special moment with Kobe and Gigi during the 2019 WNBA All-Star game. They are truly missed. #MambaForver
: @elindsay08 pic.twitter.com/A1FaaibY6P— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) January 26, 2021
Mamba Forever pic.twitter.com/WvfTdZAk0i
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 26, 2021
Still surreal..Rip #kobebryant pic.twitter.com/uhl0t0JH3g
— Carl English (@cenglish23) January 26, 2021
“The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do.” -Kobe Bryant
Kobe & Gigi... you have inspired people all over the world. We miss you. We love you. #MambaForever pic.twitter.com/lAWAN52kQX— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) January 26, 2021
Forever in our hearts pic.twitter.com/vaSEM8kdxt
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) January 26, 2021
Never forgotten. #RIPMamba pic.twitter.com/hEXdE7DJta
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 26, 2021
Forever an Olympic champion
Mamba forever. pic.twitter.com/PS2W3YRnhB— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) January 26, 2021
Never forgotten.
Mamba forever pic.twitter.com/75SqQCv3Il— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) January 26, 2021
Gone but never forgotten. Mamba forever. pic.twitter.com/fzDf3gIW8W
— Tyrone Muggsy Bogues (@MuggsyBogues) January 26, 2021
RIP Kobe and Gigi
Still doesn’t seem real, I’m at a loss for words. You’re loved and missed— Tyus Jones (@1Tyus) January 27, 2021
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 26, 2021
