Legendary New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter pens an essay dedicated to Kobe Bryant following his death on Sunday.
This past weekend, we learned of one of the more tragic deaths plenty of us have ever heard of in our lives. Legendary Los Angeles Lakers guard and future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant fell victim to a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA. His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, additionally died in the crash. Bryant was 41.
Individuals all around the world of sport have thus come together to honor him and mourn the enormous loss. This includes legendary New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who penned an essay dedicated to Bryant via The Players’ Tribune.
Within the piece, Jeter commented on how magnificent of a father Bryant was to his four girls.
“And in the moments I got to spend with him? He didn’t really talk about [basketball],” Jeter wrote. “He cared much more about being a husband to Vanessa and a dad to his girls. He loved his family — he was his family. That’s what was important.”
Jeter then mentioned that Kobe “just loved being a dad.”
Bryant leaves behind a legacy that’s unmatched. A five-time champion, Kobe is one of the more influential players the NBA has ever possessed.
Nine total people died in the crash, which included Bryant, his daughter, along with one of her teammates and their parents. Gianna’s teammate’s father happened to be John Altobelli — the baseball coach at Orange Coast College — who sometimes flew with Bryant to their daughters’ games.