Hello Meltingpot Community,
As you can imagine, I wasn’t planning to write an obituary for Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna today. And to be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to write about him here or not. After all, I don’t really write about athletes unless the athlete is living a multicultural lifestyle. But because I’m married to Spain’s biggest basketball fanatic, I know that Kobe Bryant did quietly live a multicultural lifestyle, and I had always planned on writing something about him. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect my write-up to be after his death.
The Kobe Bryant Story
Honestly, I care very little about professional sports. I don’t follow any team or sport with regularity. But I do love a good story. For example, when the Philadelphia Eagles finally won the Superbowl in 2018, I was cheering right along with the rest of the city, because their underdog journey was compelling. Likewise, I don’t know what team is heading for the NBA playoffs, but I know that the Milwaukee Bucks have a star player from Greece who is also Black via Nigeria. Like I said, I get engaged with sports when there is a good story – preferably a multicultural story – behind the team or the player. And that’s why I was initially interested in Kobe Bryant. I loved his story.
Kobe was a basketball legend, but I was intrigued by the fact that he spent much of his childhood in Italy. His father played in European basketball leagues, and reportedly, Kobe played soccer with the locals in addition to playing basketball. According to my husband, Kobe’s phenomenal footwork on the basketball court is attributed to his years playing soccer. What’s more, Kobe’s time in Italy was more than just a brief blip in his childhood. He was educated with Italian children, learned the language and was immersed in the culture and that is always fascinating to me. How living in another country as a child can impact and influence us for the rest of our lives. The mayor of the city of Reggio Emilia where Kobe and his family last lived in Italy, has already made a public announcement about the town still laying claim to their favorite American.
Who knows exactly what parts of Kobe’s adult life and personality are attributed to his childhood in another country and the resilience that had to create in him? I don’t, but I always thought it made him an intriguing character and I always enjoyed hearing about what he was doing with his life, off the court mostly. From his myriad pursuits in the entertainment industry to his support of women’s basketball, he really did seem to be about so much more than sports.
A Chance at Redemption
I will not speak ill of the dead, but I am aware that many people see Kobe Bryant as a flawed character. Like every other American who was alive in 2003, I followed the news stories. But like I said before, I was interested in Kobe Bryant because of his story, and every “bad character” in a good story gets a chance at redemption. I don’t know what was in his heart or what went on behind closed doors, but the public persona of Kobe Bryant in his later years appeared to be of a man fiercely devoted to his family and to creating a world where his daughters and other women and girls would be supported in their endeavors. And for those reasons, I’m really sad that his story ended so soon.
RIP Kobe and Gianna Bryant.
(Featured Image: Photo by Melisa Treesa Godfreyson from Pexels)
