[jwplayer OKIQnvEk-XNcErKyb]
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — It was devastating news, but news that seemed bring the whole country together, with the shocking story of how former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant — a 20-year NBA veteran — perished in a helicopter accident on Sunday morning in Calabasas.
From the avid professional basketball fan, to the players at all levels, to those who knew close to nothing about the sport, Bryant’s death had a giant impact, garnering reactions across the nation, and assuredly internationally, as well.
It also impacted those in Ann Arbor, who didn’t know or play with Bryant, but grew up watching him dominate on the basketball court in their formative years.
Among those, Michigan center Jon Teske, who spoke about the incident on Monday at the Wolverines press conference previewing Nebraska.
“It was terrible news,” Teske said. “We were still practicing, and we came back into the locker room and got that update. It was awful news. For someone — just shows it doesn’t matter how much money you have or status, you could be gone in a second. Just growing up, watching him, watching LeBron and him battle, huge impact in basketball. It just is a very sad loss.”
As a center, Teske’s game is quite different than that of shooting guard Kobe Bryant, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t pay close attention to the ‘Black Mamba.’
Teske noted Bryant’s impact on his youth and his play, saying that he always made especially sure to watch him whenever he got a chance to.
“Always watching him, playing (video game NBA2K), watching him play LeBron, those battles that they always had, and just in your backyard, yelling ‘Kobe!’ (throwing refuse into) the trash can, it’s just memories,” Teske said. “It’s very sad.
“I think it just showed my love for the game more. I just loved watching him play. Whenever I had the chance to watch him play, tried to turn on the TV. Just kinda goes from there.”