West Students’ Reflect on Kobe’s Passing

Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven other people died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas California on January 26, 2020. The helicopter crashed because of fog, the pilot could not see and crashed into the side of a mountain.  West students feel sad about Kobe’s death. Many West students saw him as a legend he inspired a lot of kids. 

Caedmon Whipple, West seventh-grader, said, “What his top 5 basketball players of all time.”Whipple continued to list his top 5 favorite players, “5 Dennis Rodman, 4 Michale Jordan, 3 Kobe Bryant, 2 James Harden, and 1 Lebron James.”  Whipple also added, “Whenever I think of him [Kobe], he makes me work harder…He is a really good player and he has affected a lot of the NBA players’ life and he has affected my life…He was really good he passed a lot and he made a lot of good plays and he led the team in points.”

 Darris Williams, West eighth-grader, listed his top five NBA players, “5 Curry, 4 Kareem, Abdul-Jabbar,  3 Lebron James, 2 Michale Jordan, and 1 Kobe.” Williams reflects on watching Kobe play, “[Kobe] scored 81 points in 1 game.”

Kobe and the rest of the people were on their way to Gigi Bryant’s (Kobe’s middle daughter) game. The people that were in the helicopter are Gigi Bryant, Kobe Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sahra Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser, and Ara Zobayan. Their game was at Mamba Sports Academy.