Three hundred and sixty-three days after Kobe Bryant’s death and 104 days after winning an NBA championship in his honor, Los Angeles Lakers co-captains LeBron James and Anthony Davis reflected on the time that has passed since the world lost Bryant.
“Dude, it’s a saying that time heals everything,” said James after a victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday at the United Center, where Bryant’s idol Michael Jordan used to play. “And as devastating and tragic as it has been and still is for all of us involved in this, just time. And it takes time. Everyone has their own grieving process.”
Many among the Lakers, Bryant’s family and the close circle of friends are still in mourning, almost a year after a helicopter crash killed Bryant, 41, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
“As we approach his one-year anniversary, it saddens our hearts to really come to the conclusion that he’s gone,” said Davis. “I know I still have a problem with that, you still can’t believe it.”
With emotions still raw, the Lakers’ organization has no plans to make this Tuesday, January 26, more difficult than it already will be, with more emphasis on the anniversary, sources told ESPN. There will be no Black Mamba uniforms worn on Monday in Cleveland, the day before the birthday, or on Wednesday in Philadelphia, the next day. There will be no formal tribute, which could potentially draw more attention to the distressing details of the accident and cause more trauma than healing.
The Lakers team will continue to honor Bryant in the subtle ways that many of his players have done since last season: with pairs of shoes with Bryant’s signature on his feet, with a # 24 finger sleeve in James’s hand, with the Bryant’s nickname unifying the group in each grouping.
“To this day, it’s ‘Mamba on three!’ at any time we bring him in because we still want to recognize that he is part of our organization, “said Davis.” And since the tragedy happened, we think it is bigger than, you know, ourselves. “
James was asked about Bryant during several post-game press conferences this week and invited him to talk about the life of the Lakers’ luminary, but he was reticent to think about the circumstances surrounding Bryant’s death.
“I try not to put myself back in that memory space, because it’s too dark,” said James, “not just for me, but for our organization and everyone involved in it.”
Lakers centerman Marc Gasol, whose older brother, Pau, joined Bryant to win two championships, was also not ready to share his thoughts publicly.
“I don’t feel comfortable talking about it,” said Gasol. “I’m sorry. Even today, I never really talked about it.”
But talk about how Bryant’s game mirrored Jordan’s? This was something that James readily considered, at least for Bryant’s legacy in basketball.
“I just looked at Kobe for him,” said James. “And obviously you saw a lot of similarities between him and Mike, but I enjoyed the game of Kobe for the game of Kobe. The way he played, the subtlety with which he played, the handling skills of the ball, the kick, whatever he possessed on the ground – I respected him for who he was as a player and for what he was able to bring to the ground.
“The fact that he was able to take some things from MJ and look at some of MJ’s DNA and really be able to do that – a lot of people try to do that, a lot of people would like to be able to take things from some of the big ones, implement them in their game and then succeed, they just can’t. They don’t have the ability to do that. They don’t have the impulse to do that, the mindset to do that. But he actually did and did in high level for a long, long, long time. And you can respect that. “
And Davis was amazed at the magnitude of Bryant’s lasting impact, an influence so ubiquitous that the great star of the Lakers never fully understood it while Bryant was still alive.
“I didn’t know and I know that he was very, very well-known and popular, but I didn’t know that he impacted the lives of so many people outside basketball,” said Davis. “From football to football, to players from abroad, to people who don’t even play sports, they are always talking about the ‘Mamba mentality’. I didn’t know how impactful he was all over the world … I just didn’t realize how many people he impacted around the world outside the basketball community. “
This season’s Lakers team is looking for a repeat title to pair with the one they dedicated to Bryant’s memory.
“When the tragedy happened, it was more than that, you know, ‘let’s do it for him,'” said Davis. “And that’s what we ended up doing last year. … We know that we fought to the end for a purpose, and it wasn’t just for ourselves. It was for the Bryant family. And we managed to accomplish that.”
While Bryant remains in the Lakers’ mind and hearts, James said that Bryant will be remembered because he is not only being carried by his former franchise, but by people across the planet he lived on.
“There are many things that die in this world, but legends never die, and that is exactly what it is,” said James. “So, it’s all about representing that.”