“It’s like losing my son,” West said with a strain in his voice. “I think about his family. I think about his daughter who was lost, and to watch him with his daughters and his family, to watch the time and effort he put into his (Mamba Sports) academy (in Southern California), was something that most athletes never consider. And to see his career change the way it did (including Bryant winning an Oscar for his animated short, “Dear Basketball” in March 2018), it’s just amazing. He was going to make a legendary career outside of basketball, and it was taken away so quickly. … It’s just indescribable to me.”