There was nothing uncharacteristic or unfamiliar about this," Pelinka said. I grabbed my phone and texted Kobe back that I'd seen the baseball agent at a Lakers game just the other night, and was happy to help him with whatever he wanted. Kobe texted back explaining his desire to help a friend of his secure a baseball agency internship for one of his young daughters.
Kobe vouched for the girl's character, intellect and work ethic. He clearly wanted to champion a bright future for her. I texted Kobe right back and said I would put a plan in motion to help him get that done.
Michael spoke at length about the nature of their relationship during The Celebration of Life ceremony. As two of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball , there was naturally a lot of mutual respect between them and they could discuss strategies in the same way Kobe often did with Michael Jordan.
Auriemma grew close to both of them over the years and spoke at their memorial. They met around the start of their playing careers and remained close until the day he passed. Magic has always thought very highly of Kobe and that's definitely saying something considering Johnson is such a legend himself. The two never played together and only played against each other once during a practice game.
They had a solid friendship and often engaged in long conversations about everything from basketball to family life. Pelinka used to be Bryant's agent and currently serves as the general manager of the Lakers. Rob has always thought of Kobe as a best friend and the two have naturally spent a lot of time together throughout the years. Bryant certainly had a ton of respect for Pelinka and what he's contributed to basketball. West is a former NBA all-star who has also served as both a head coach and as a general manager for the Lakers.
He acquired Kobe by trading up to select him during the NBA draft then signed Shaq as a free agent the same summer. He set Bryant up for success and was simultaneously one of his closest friends.
Buss was a majority share holder of the Lakers in the s and also played an integral part in setting Kobe up for a historic career. He agreed with West and was willing to do whatever it took to get Bryant in yellow and purple.
Jerry is unfortunately no longer with us as he passed away in Carmelo and Kobe have been tight for years and texted frequently up until Bryant's passing. Melo was naturally shaken up by the news of Kobe's death and left a long, heartfelt message on Instagram detailing Bryant's impact on his life.
Vanessa said that Kobe was the romantic of the relationship. He'd plan anniversary trips and buy her special gifts for every year of their marriage, often making the gifts by hand. As a symbol of their everlasting love, he even bought her the blue dress that Rachel McAdams wore in the movie, "The Notebook. We loved each other with our whole beings. Two perfectly imperfect people making a beautiful family and raising our sweet and amazing girls.
Kobe would worry about Vanessa whenever she was late to one of his games. At the first timeout, he'd ask security about her whereabouts. Before Kobe died, he texted her that he wanted to spend more time together just the two of them without their kids because she was his best friend. Kobe wanted to renew his vows with Vanessa and he wanted his year-old daughter Natalia to eventually take over his company.
The couple had plans to travel the world together. They joked that they would be the fun grandparents one day. He taught them how to be brave and how to keep pushing forward when things get tough. After Kobe retired in following a season career with the Lakers, he took over picking up his daughters after school. Kobe was late one time, and Vanessa and the girls let him know that Vanessa was never tardy.
Nearly every night, Kobe and Vanessa would bathe three-year-old Bianka and Capri, who was born last summer. He'd sing them silly songs, lather them with lotion and put them to bed.
Kobe had a unique ability to put Capri to sleep in only a few minutes, walking her up and down the hallway eight times. Kobe and Natalia shared a love for storytelling and he'd rent out movie theaters and take her to watch "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter.
Vanessa next described the powerful love that Kobe and Gianna shared, calling her "daddy's girl. They also shared a deep passion for basketball. After retiring, Kobe devoted himself to teaching her his craft.
He relived his love of basketball through her eyes. They were always together. In fact, they were on their way to the Mamba Sports Academy when the helicopter crashed, where Kobe was going to coach Gianna in a basketball game. Pelinka, Bryant's longtime agent who became his best friend, revealed that Kobe actually texted him from the helicopter minutes before the crash.
My phone was deep in the pocket of my jeans when I felt the familiar text buzz. For a second, I ignored the notification because I was in church. For some reason, with this text, I felt a sudden urge to check my phone.
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