Kobe Bryant’s nickname was “The Black Mamba.” It was an alter-ego he gave to himself after struggling through dark periods of his life..
In his auto-documentary “Muse,” Bryant revealed that he created The Black Mamba as a way to deal with the struggles he was going through off the court in 2003 and 2004.
“I went from a person who was at the top of his game, had everything coming, to a year later, having absolutely no idea where life is going or if you are even going to be a part of life as we all know it,” Bryant was quoted as saying..
“I hear everything the crowd is saying. I hear it.” Bryant says following a clip during which Boston Celtics fans can be heard chanting “Kobe sucks!” “So, it’s like this place where it was my refuge is now being bombarded with all kinds of things they would say. I had to separate myself. It felt like there were so many things coming at once. It was just becoming very, very confusing. I had to organize things. So I created The Black Mamba.”
An off-the-court scandal to hit Bryant’s reputation took place June 30, 2003, in a hotel room at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in the Rocky Mountains town of Edwards, Colo. A 19-year-old woman working as the front-desk clerk accompanied Bryant on a tour of the property. She later went to Bryant’s hotel room, where she said he raped her. Bryant entered a plea of not guilty May 11, 2004.. Some DNA evidence suggested she had sex with someone else in the time frame that Bryant allegedly committed the act.. And then media sources began accidentally publishing her name! The woman eventually asked prosecutors to drop the case..
Bryant never spoke of the incident publicly beyond his initial denials, and his reputation seemingly was not affected by the brief scandal..
In 2011, Bryant and Nike created an extended commercial in which he discusses creating an action movie with director Robert Rodriguez based on the character The Black Mamba. Here is that video.
There was a certain degree of deep national emotion expressed Sunday when people learned that the death of Kobe Bryant was not just online rumor or ‘fake news.’ It was very real..
The death sparked a tearful reaction from people who grew up watching Bryant.. after all, he was 41 at the time of death.. Making matters even more horrible, his 13-year-old daughter was in the helicopter crash that doomed him and several others..
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THE CRASH
There were foggy conditions in Los Angeles Sunday while Bryant’s helicopter was in the air.
The conditions were bad enough that local police actually grounded their helicopters.
Bryant’s helicopter plunged into hillside at about 9:45 a.m. Sunday with an impact that scattered debris over an area the size of a football field and killed all aboard.
This was the AP news wire report of the incident:
The Los Angeles County medical examiner, Dr. Jonathan Lucas, said the rugged terrain complicated efforts to recover the remains. He estimated it would take at least a couple of days to complete that task before identifications can be made. Bryant’s helicopter left Santa Ana in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, shortly after 9 a.m. and circled for a time just east of Interstate 5, near Glendale. Air traffic controllers noted poor visibility around Burbank, just to the north, and Van Nuys, to the northwest. Ater holding up the helicopter for other aircraft, they cleared the Sikorsky S-76 to proceed north along Interstate 5 through Burbank before turning west to follow U.S Route 101, the Ventura Highway.
Shortly after 9:40 a.m., the helicopter turned again, toward the southeast, and climbed to more than 2000 feet (609 meters). It then descended and crashed into the hillside at about 1400 feet (426 meters), according to data from Flightradar24.
When it struck the ground, the helicopter was flying at about 160 knots (184 mph) and descending at a rate of more than 4000 feet per minute, the data showed.
The chopper went down in Calabasas, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in nearby Thousand Oaks was holding a basketball tournament on Sunday.
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REACTION
There was an immediate outpouring of grief online.. people ages 25-45 new Bryant well. They watched him grow… they saw saw him in countless loving scenes with his daughter Gianna.. he was larger than life itself, and he was a legend of the basketball court. There was a tragedy in this death. He was young. He had a life ahead of him..
It is when stars like him suddenly perish when we realize riches, fame, and fortunes do not exempt or prevent horror.. Success is never an immunity from an ending. This ending hurt..
The mood could not be emotional during the Grammys telecast in the Staples Center just hours after his death.. Alicia Keys and Boyz II Men opened the show as Bryant’s jersey hung quietly over the crowd..
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MEDIA FAILS
Showing how little people trust media sources anymore, the initial reports of death were met with skepticism and even hostility.. people were forced to check several sources before this was believed. It’s often that rumors circulate online of celebrity deaths.. This one was immediately assumed a false rumor. The reality quickly hit..
But as the media dealt with breaking news of the event, two massive media fails tainted their already undeniably tarnished reputation.
The BBC reported of Bryant’s death and failed to use the correct stock images.. instead they somehow showcased Lebron James! The UK SUN,
One tweeted: “Can’t believe BBC News just played clips of Lebron James during the Kobe Bryant report…”
Another added: “Dear BBC News, you appear to have inserted clips of LeBron James into your tribute package for Kobe Bryant for no apparent reason …”
One fan wrote: “BBC have managed to show two clips of LeBron James during Kobe’s obituary. Absolutely appalling.”
The worst of all!? MSNBC may take the prize for worst news mistake of all time.
There were immediate calls for Morris to be fired! Her Twitter account was briefly deactivated! And people, in their rage, hunted down the wrong Allison Morrises on social media! Finally, she Tweeted a statement:
Earlier today, while reporting on the tragic news of Kobe Bryant’s passing, I unfortunately stuttered on air, combining the names of the Knicks and the Lakers to say “Nakers.” Please know I did not & would NEVER use a racist term. I apologize for the confusion this caused.
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The local connection
There was a bit of magic in Martz Hall in Pottsville in the 1995-96 season when he played for Lower Merion.
This image was transmitted across social media over the year:
This is how the Allentown MORNING CALL reported it on March 17 1996:
Most players get a sick stomach after playing Lower Merion and its star player, Kobe Bryant.
Unfortunately for Stroudsburg, its star player, Ken Lacey, had a queasy stomach before yesterday afternoon’s showdown against Bryant in the PIAA Class 4A East semifinals.
Lacey kept things down during the game, but no one could hold Bryant in check as Lower Merion pulled away to a 71-54 victory before 3,000 fans at Martz Hall.
Bryant, the winner of the Gatorade Player of the Year, scored 36 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in advancing his team to Wednesday’s East title game against Chester in what shapes up as a dandy rematch of the March 1 District One final.
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