They remember Kobe
It’s fake news!
That was James Yap’s reaction when somebody told him that Kobe Bryant, 41, died in a helicopter crash in LA Sunday afternoon, Jan. 26, together with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
“I just woke up and I didn’t believe it,” James told Funfare, “until I confirmed the sad news in our group chat.”
On July 23, 2011, James had a chance to play with Bryant during one of his seven visits to the Philippines, some of which were for basketball clinics.
“He was a serious player. Even in an exhibition game, seryoso ang laro niya,” recalled James who at 6’3” stands three inches shorter than Bryant. “He was competitive. At one point, nasangga ko ‘yung pag-shoot n’ya, and then siya naman ang bumangga sa akin. He taught me how to be an effective defense.”
UP Fighting Maroons’ Ricci Rivero also had a close encounter with Bryant, and he recalled in a long tribute how Bryant inspired him.
“It was a great once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ricci remembered. “I first met Kobe in LA. We went to the Staples Center with the Junior NBA all-star from the Philippines. We received a check from the LA Lakers on behalf of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC). I told him that I looked up to him as my role model and an inspiration to achieve my dream to become a professional basketball player.
“One thing he told me that really sticks to my mind up to now is ‘to always work hard and always out work every day, and to always take care of my health.’ He reminded me to sleep early and wake up early and start working while everybody else is sleeping.
“Then when we met again during his visit for the Mamba Mentality at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in 2016, I reminded him that we met already at Staples Center, and he said, ‘Yeah, I remember that event and I remember someone telling me that I am his role model and always trying to imitate me even if he was wearing another brand of shoes,’ and smiled at me.
“I knew then that he remembered me. Kobe was our coach vs. some of the best PBA players and he just told us to enjoy the game, to play hard even if it was just an exhibition game and always make our teammates feel good by sharing the ball but always be aggressive.
“He also reminded me to always love and respect the game of basketball, the game that we all love, and in the end, basketball will give us back everything that we did all the hard work we’ve done. And never take the game for granted by always working hard.
“I feel sad, really sad. When I woke up this (Monday) morning and saw the news, I was devastated. I will miss my hero.”
Asked what’s the best lesson that he learned from Bryant, San Miguel’s Arwind Santos said, “He told me that if I played good basketball, I should be a good defense. He was very cool, very inspiring at palangiti.”
RR Garcia of Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters (formerly of FEU Tamaraws) has a simple message.
“Rest in peace, my idol. Mamba out.”
(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)
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