Sunday, January 26th, 2020, is the latest in those days that you will have in your memory bank for as long as you are alive on this earth… and it's most especially true for those who follow sports and basketball as much as I do. On a foggy Sunday morning in Southern California, a low-lying helicopter carrying nine passengers en route to a kids' basketball camp crashed on a hillside in Calabasas west of Los Angeles and up the road from Santa Monica, killing all of those on board.
This accident cruelly cut short the life of Kobe Bryant, one of the most revered superstars in both the NBA and in all of sports, and one of those who represents a rarity in the world of money-driven professional athletics. He spent his entire 20-year career with one club in being the heart & soul of the Los Angeles Lakers, and who epitomized a consistent drive to win with five NBA titles, numerous league, All-Star & Finals MVP's, plus many records, honors and countless memories that will make him a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the Basketball Hall of Fame in New England inducts its class of 2020 next fall.
Following his retirement in 2016 - one that saw him score 60 points in his farewell game in front of a home crowd at the Staples Center, he had fast become an active businessman, an author of the book Mamba Motivation, an Oscar winner for his 2017 short film Dear Basketball, and father figure to his four daughters and his wife, Vanessa Bryant. Unfortunately, one of them, aspiring young basketball player Gianna "GiGi" Bryant, was with him during that doomed flight along with a respected college baseball coach and his wife & daughter... among the nine people who perished in that chopper crash that remains under investigation as authorities continue to figure out what happened.
As it was when on 9/11, when Michael Jackson and JFK died, when man stepped on the moon and every significant news event that's taken place in our lifetimes, you, me and everyone will know exactly where we were when the news broke of Kobe's death. Many of you were going about your Sunday activities, while others were anticipating the Grammy Awards being held at Staples Center last week... and like all of you, I found about this news from social media, but it wasn't until the TMZ scoop was confirmed by every media outlet that it really sunk in. And even now a week after this tragedy, his death is still so hard to take for a lot of us as the healing process continues.
During the upcoming NBA All-Star Weekend in two weeks' time, all of basketball will gather in Chicago not just for a celebration of their sport as is always the case, but also a celebration of Kobe and his life. It will be quite an eventful three days of emotion when that takes place over the long President's Day holiday weekend, for which it will pay several tributes to him in where another legend, Michael Jordan, called home during the Bulls' dynasty... all as the Lakers, now led by LeBron James, have returned to action after a week of mourning following that fatal accident, and with the league's top record will later seek to win an emotional championship in Kobe's memory.
Whether it's from the basketball angle, in a general sporting sense or from the entertainment world, there have been countless tributes and remembrances of Kobe in the past few days. And we here at DCBLOG would like to share how those in the community for which we cover regularly in the MTV community have dealt with this loss, for which there have been a handful of connections, both on a personal level and on-air.
Following his retirement in 2016 - one that saw him score 60 points in his farewell game in front of a home crowd at the Staples Center, he had fast become an active businessman, an author of the book Mamba Motivation, an Oscar winner for his 2017 short film Dear Basketball, and father figure to his four daughters and his wife, Vanessa Bryant. Unfortunately, one of them, aspiring young basketball player Gianna "GiGi" Bryant, was with him during that doomed flight along with a respected college baseball coach and his wife & daughter... among the nine people who perished in that chopper crash that remains under investigation as authorities continue to figure out what happened.
As it was when on 9/11, when Michael Jackson and JFK died, when man stepped on the moon and every significant news event that's taken place in our lifetimes, you, me and everyone will know exactly where we were when the news broke of Kobe's death. Many of you were going about your Sunday activities, while others were anticipating the Grammy Awards being held at Staples Center last week... and like all of you, I found about this news from social media, but it wasn't until the TMZ scoop was confirmed by every media outlet that it really sunk in. And even now a week after this tragedy, his death is still so hard to take for a lot of us as the healing process continues.
During the upcoming NBA All-Star Weekend in two weeks' time, all of basketball will gather in Chicago not just for a celebration of their sport as is always the case, but also a celebration of Kobe and his life. It will be quite an eventful three days of emotion when that takes place over the long President's Day holiday weekend, for which it will pay several tributes to him in where another legend, Michael Jordan, called home during the Bulls' dynasty... all as the Lakers, now led by LeBron James, have returned to action after a week of mourning following that fatal accident, and with the league's top record will later seek to win an emotional championship in Kobe's memory.
Whether it's from the basketball angle, in a general sporting sense or from the entertainment world, there have been countless tributes and remembrances of Kobe in the past few days. And we here at DCBLOG would like to share how those in the community for which we cover regularly in the MTV community have dealt with this loss, for which there have been a handful of connections, both on a personal level and on-air.
KOBE'S MTV APPEARANCES
MTV's The Challenge is known to its fanbase as "the fifth major pro sport," but it hasn't always been that way. In its infancy, the show was just a stepchild to MTV's first two entries into the reality television picture of The Real World and Road Rules, and its first few seasons pitted alumni from those shows in a more friendlier competition than what we have now.
Real World LA queen Beth Stolarczak and Road Rules OG Mark Long made their Challenge debuts on Season 2 of the show in 1998, and the first of the five showdowns between their parent shows. The competitors of that season had a chance to take part in a basketball-themed challenge featuring Kobe and L.A. native Reggie Miller, two years before the USC alum faced him in his only NBA Finals appearance, which the Lakers won in what would be the first of five rings Kobe would collect. The Pacers legend, now an analyst for Turner Sports, was on hand last Tuesday in an empty Staples Center to join TNT's Inside the NBA team of Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal to offer his memories of Kobe after a planned Lakers game that night with the Clippers was postponed, and as fans gathered outside the arena to offer their condolences.
But no one knows what it's like to be on the same court as those future Hall of Famers than the man who was the ref to the NBA legends' battle. Seventeen years ago, LA native Syrus Yarborough made his MTV debut on Season 6 of The Real World, which took place in the home city of the Lakers' bitter rivals of the Celtics, Boston, Massachusetts, and went on to be part of several Challenge seasons afterwards. His first one came on that second season of what was then The Real World/Road Rules Challenge in 1998-99, and he and those who were part of that Challenge miniseries that year got to share the court with Kobe and Reggie. On the night of Kobe's duel jersey retirement in December 2017, more than a year after that memorable last game, he wrote on Instagram, "Today is #KobeBryant #Day. Congrats on Retiring 2 numbers. I was fortunate enough to work w/ this #Amazing #Talent on #MTV #TheChallenge He actually said to me that he & his sister were fans!"
Syrus reposted that picture last week after the news got to him of Kobe's death. Mark shared his memories on Twitter by tweeting, "He was so kind and generous. He stayed after the shoot for an hour and signed everyone’s jerseys. I still have my jersey🙏🏼 RIP @kobebryant 🙏🏼." One who competed with them on that RW/RR Challenge that year, Real World Seattle castmate Nathan Blackburn, wrote, "What a gift we received getting to meet him and play with him and Reggie Miller that day🙏💯," while Road Rules Australia alum Kefla Hare added, "Amazing day. Dude was so real and down to earth." Beth captioned on her Instagram, "Great memories playing basketball with Kobe Bryant. He is an inspiration to so many people," while Anne Wharton, another Road Rules alum, added, "Gone way too soon. When we played against him after he was drafted on Road Rules/Real World challenge he was a fan, a delight and a humble gentleman. 🙏🙁"
Kobe shot an episode of @ChallengeMTV w/ us years ago. He was so kind and generous. He stayed after the shoot for an hour and signed everyone’s jerseys. I still have my jersey🙏🏼 RIP @kobebryant 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/EDvGG31JyF— Mark Long (@TheMarkLong) January 27, 2020
Before Kobe's dual jersey retirement, Miller joined The Dan Patrick Show with the former ESPN and NBC host to offer his memories of him and Kobe playing the Real World and Road Rules casts on that Challenge.
It wasn't just on The Challenge that Kobe appeared on: he was one of the many big names who have had the chance to sit in with the group of those who love to watch viral videos with one of action sports' biggest icons. A year after his retirement, he joined Rob Dyrdek & friends to Ridiculousness for which clips of his appearance are below. And the show's host knows all too well the feeling of losing a friend too soon, as the beloved co-star of his first MTV project Rob & Big, friend and bodyguard Christopher "Big" Boykin, died a few years back also in an unexpected manner.
THE PERSONALITIES
Like the countless thousands of those from basketball, sports, entertainment and outside those worlds, millions of people have shared their memories of Kobe and paid tribute to him in the seven days since this terrible tragedy. His passing has brought a divided America together, both in person and on social media, in sorrow and celebration of the 41-year life he enjoyed on and off the court... and those who've been on MTV Reality shows have also paid their tributes to Kobe.
It was only two weeks ago this weekend that Cory Wharton was on that high celebrating, with girlfriend Taylor Selfridge, the mom of his first kid Cheyenne Floyd and some of their fellow MTV alumni, his new baby girl when they held their baby gender reveal party last month. But he didn't have any idea that, seven days later, he'd be on the opposite side of the emotional spectrum in remembering a player he grew up watching being taken away this soon.
Cory wrote on Instagram @CoryWharton (it has since been deleted), "“Heroes come and go, but LEGENDS are forever” Man this news is fuckin up my day I just remember watching you when I was little and trying to perfect my game to be like yours smh . My heart goes out to his daughters and wife. RIP to a legend the city will miss you mannn 🙏🏽😢 #kobe #kobebryant"
Someone who, like Cory, has grown a close bond with the team that embodies the sporting passion of the nation's second largest city is Chris "Swaggy C" Williams of Season 20 of Big Brother, himself a huge hoops enthusiast. He & his fiance, fellow BB houseguest Bayleigh Dayton, have sat courtside several times at Staples with the club's current president, Jennie Buss, daughter of the longtime late owner of the Lakers, Jerry Buss - part of that prestigious front row at what is the hottest ticket on any given night in the Southland... and who have dealt with this heartache as much as Bryant's family.
As someone who we'll be hearing much more from in the coming months, Chris' goodbye to Kobe expressed the thoughts that so millions of those who watched him play growing up and who will be missed... he wrote, "My favorite player of all time. My hero. You were everything to me growing up. I love you man 🌹 Rest In Peace to you, Gi, and the other family involved. You don’t even know the impact you had on my life king. Tears."
And here are other tributes from the MTV Reality community...
And more than a week after his passing, the Kaplan Twins from Ex On The Beach Season 3 paid tribute to Kobe by doing a painting of him and Gigi.
For basketball fans everywhere, the month of January was undoubtedly the toughest for us to take in, as the death of this legend came three weeks after the passing of iconic commissioner David Stern, who turned the NBA from a laughing stock in the '70s into a global sports powerhouse. Kobe was an icon for not just the Lakers, but also basketball, sports and of Southern California, whose entry along with Shaq to that team in the mid-90's set the stage for the team's dynasty in the decade that followed.
I remember watching him win the Slam Dunk Contest at the 1997 All-Star Weekend and play in that year's rookie game as part of that legendary draft class of his... and while being a fan of the Warriors and of the NBA I've grown to respect the greatness of Bryant in being one of those who spent their whole career with one team in the always-changing landscape of this league. The Black Mamba will be sorely missed and we'll never forget the time we've enjoyed his greatness.
- I AM DC
#DCBLOG
Updates
- 2/3/20: updated to include Kobe video on The Challenge
- 2/4/20: updated to include Kaplan Twins' tribute
