Tag: Mamba

Golf world remembers Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna one year after tragic death

Kobe Bryant, the master of the Mamba Mentality, died one year ago Tuesday, but his legacy is fondly remembered even in the golf world.

On Jan. 26, 2020, the world seemed to stop with the news that Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, had died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

The former Los Angeles Lakers star became an NBA legend, earning back-to-back NBA Finals MVP honors, five NBA Championships, 11 All-NBA first-team selections, two Olympic gold medals and 18 All-Star team selections in his 20 seasons. His impact also extended off the court as he won an Academy Award in 2018 for “Dear Basketball,” the year’s Best Animated Short Film.

While the basketball world and its fans lamented the loss of one of — if not the — greatest basketball players of all time, members of the golf community also grieved the tragic loss of one of history’s greatest athletes.

One year after Bryant’s death, several in the golf world paid tribute to Bryant’s legacy and posted messages of remembrance.

Below are a few of those messages.

Justin Thomas

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKg0n_Jhw89/?igshid=164yzmlf0us2o

Jane Park

Max Homa

Max Homa posted a quote from Kobe Bryant on the first anniversary of Bryant’s death. (Max Homa/Instagram)

PGA Tour

[lawrence-related id=778022932,778022857,778022648,778022618,778022653]

Members of the Warriors will attend Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s memorial service in Los Angeles

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Bob Myers will represent the Golden State Warriors at Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s memorial service.

The impact of Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing is still making waves through the NBA. Players from across the league have poured emotional tributes on the court and through social media in Bryant’s honor.

Members of the Golden State Warriors, including Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, have used social media to share their feelings on Bryant’s loss.

In their first home game since his passing, the Warriors paid respect to the fallen Lakers legend. During the game, Curry wore a Bryant jersey on the sideline.

The Staples Center will host a memorial service for Bryant and his daughter Gianna on Monday in Los Angeles.

After Golden State’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night, Steve Kerr spoke to reporters about Bryant’s upcoming memorial.

Via Lets Go Warriors:

Steph and Draymond will go down to LA for the service with Bob. And the rest of the staff and team will stay here and practice tomorrow. It’ll be a tough day for the NBA, and it’s been a tough few weeks for everybody, and it doesn’t seem real; it really doesn’t. It’s just a constant reminder when you hear his name, when you see him on TV — see images. It’s just a constant reminder of what happened and how tragic it was and how tragic it is for his family. We will all be thinking of Vanessa [Bryant] and the family, and the Lakers. And then the service tomorrow, like I said; Draymond, Steph and Bob will represent us there.

Along with Curry, Thompson and Bob Myers, Klay Thompson is expected to attend the service, according to Conor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Warriors will travel to Bryant’s home arena as a full team on April 7 in their final game against the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2019-20 season.

The Genesis Invitational honors Kobe Bryant with eighth-hole tribute

The Genesis Invitational will honor former Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant on the eighth hole during the 2020 event.

The tributes to Kobe Bryant keep rolling in.

The Genesis Invitational, beginning Thursday at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, dedicated the eighth hole to the former Los Angeles Laker with a special hole sign and flag in the Lakers’ classic purple and gold.

The hole sign for the par-4, 433-yard eighth also features Bryant’s on-court persona and nickname, “Mamba.”

This is only the latest in several ongoing tributes to Bryant, 41, who died Jan. 26 alongside his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.

Film director Spike Lee wore a purple and gold suit Sunday to the Academy Awards with Bryant’s other number with the Lakers, 24, sown onto the blazer’s lapels and the upper back. The Academy Awards paid tribute to Bryant, who won an Oscar in 2018 for the year’s Best Animated Short Film “Dear Basketball,” during the In Memoriam tribute.

The Waste Management Phoenix Open honored Bryant one week after his death by using a purple and gold flag on TPC Scottsdale’s famed 16th hole for the event’s final round. The flag featured No. 24 on one side and No. 8 on the other. The hole location was 24 paces onto the green and eight paces from the left, and the hole was cut at 8:24 a.m.

PGA Tour players paid tribute to Bryant during the Waste Management Phoenix Open, too. Tony Finau played his first round in purple and gold golf shoes while Justin Thomas wore Bryant’s No. 33 jersey from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Thomas also used four wedges stamped with the phrases, “Mamba mentality,” “Black Mamba,” “Kobe Bean Bryant” and “81 points” during the event. Thomas announced Thursday he plans to auction the wedges and donate funds from the sale to the The MambaOnThree Fund, which was started by the Mamba Sports Foundation after Bryant’s helicopter crash. The fund aids the families of seven other victims of the crash: John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan.

[jwplayer U4ymrn2I-9JtFt04J]

[lawrence-related id=778024939,778024075,778023528,778023150,778022857,778022653]

Justin Thomas to auction Kobe Bryant-themed wedges, benefitting families of crash victims

Justin Thomas used Kobe Bryant-themed wedges at the Phoenix Open, but will now donate the four clubs to the Mamba on Three Foundation.

During last week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open, Justin Thomas used four Vokey wedges that were stamped with phrases to honor NBA star Kobe Bryant after his death.

While fans enjoyed seeing PGA Tour stars like Thomas, Tony Finau and Max Homa pay homage to Bryant at TPC Scottsdale after Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others close to the Bryant family died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, Thomas isn’t finished with the tragedy.

Thomas announced Thursday on Twitter he will auction his four wedges stamped with the phrases, “81 points,” “Kobe Bean Bryant,” “Black Mamba” and “Mamba Mentality.” The proceeds from the sale will benefit The MambaOnThree Fund, which was started by the Mamba Sports Foundation after Bryant’s helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California. The fund aids the families of seven other victims of the crash: John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan.

Thomas also played the 16th hole at the Phoenix Open with Bryant’s No. 33 jersey from Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

During the Phoenix Open, Thomas discussed Bryant’s legacy and the impact the former Los Angeles Laker had on his game.

“He had such an impact on me and he was such a person that I looked up to and tried to kind of have my mental approach like that, I felt like it was very fitting (to wear Bryant’s jersey),” Thomas said. “There’s only one tournament all year you can put a jersey on and hit a shot. Just the timing worked out to be here, so it was a no-brainer for me.”

[lawrence-related id=778023528,778023150,778023150,778022932,778022857,778022648]

Report: Alec Burks to change from No. 8 jersey in honor of Kobe Bryant

Alec Burks is moving on from his No. 8 jersey and switching to No. 20 to honor fallen NBA legend, Kobe Bryant.

Since the devastating news of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter crash that killed Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others, the NBA has tried to honor the fallen legend.

Players like Stephen Curry, D’Angelo Russell and Draymond Green have all weighed in on social media in remembrance of Bryant. During the Warriors’ first game since his passing, Golden State and the Philadelphia 76ers honored Bryant with a pregame ceremony, and each team took violations after the game tipped off.

Against Golden State, 76ers’ center, Joel Embiid wore Bryant’s No. 24 in his honor, instead of his regular No. 21 jersey. The 76ers all wore No. 8 or No. 24 with Bryant laced across the back in pregame warm-ups.

The honors for Bryant keep rolling in as the news of his death is still rippling through the NBA. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports is reporting Golden State swingman, Alec Burks will change his jersey from No. 8 to No. 20 with respect to Bryant.

Other players in the NBA are changing from either Bryant’s No. 8 or No. 24 to different jersey numbers. According to reports, Brooklyn’s Spencer Dinwiddie, Detroit’s Markieff Morris and former Warrior, turned Laker, Quinn Cook have all swapped numbers since the loss of Bryant.

No Warriors will be switching from No. 24 as it’s already retired in honor of Hall of Famer, Rick Barry.

Golf world reacts to tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant

When NBA legend Kobe Bryant died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, sports figures around the world mourned his death.

Former Los Angeles Lakers star and NBA legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash Sunday in Calabasas, California, USA TODAY confirmed.

Bryant, 41, was flying on his personal helicopter Sunday morning when it crashed about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed in a tweet five people died in the crash and there were no survivors. The investigation into the crash is ongoing.

USA TODAY confirmed Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also on the helicopter and is confirmed dead. The pair was traveling to a youth basketball game. Gianna has been in the public eye more since Bryant’s retirement in 2016. Bryant regularly discussed coaching her youth basketball team and posted about attending her games. Gianna has also attended several basketball games with Bryant.

Phil Mickelson shakes hands with Kobe Bryant during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) 

The identities of the other victims have not yet been confirmed.

The NBA legend played for the Lakers for 20 seasons and ranks fourth on the NBA’s all-time leading scorers list with 33,643 points. LeBron James passed Bryant on the list Saturday evening.

During his career, Bryant was named NBA MVP after the 2007-08 season and won five NBA Championships. He claimed back-to-back NBA Finals MVP awards in 2009 and 2010. Among his many accolades are 11 All-NBA first-team selections (second-most in NBA history), two Olympic gold medals and 18 All-Star team selections. He also won an Academy Award in 2018 for “Dear Basketball”, the year’s Best Animated Short Film.

Bryant was married to Vanessa Bryant and had four daughters.

Bryant’s legacy was bigger than basketball. News of his death incited messages of grief and respect from sports figures around the globe including several golfers.

This story is developing and will be updated.