The NBA legend Kobe Bryant had helped children through various organizations like Make A Wish and Stand Up To Cancer.
Some people, like stars, shine bright long after they are gone. They lived an incredible life and will forever be remembered for their actions. They could be celebrities and icons but they could also be a lot more than that. They are humans first and foremost, and the best kind. Helping others just comes naturally to them, and Kobe Bryant was someone like that.
The world mourned on January 26, 2020, when Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gigi and other passengers. He was known as a star NBA player but there was a lot more to him beyond his sportsmanship. He earned accolades for his performance on the court but the incredible work he did outside of it was equally important. The basketball player had tried to give back to the community, whenever he could.
For instance, he was working with the Make-A-Wish foundation for more than two decades. The father-of-four had met over 100 children with life-threatening diseases during the course of his career. Before retiring, he also invited kids to play with him, according to Essence. He also helped multiple organizations raise money for cancer research and medical expenses. In 2012, he joined the annual Stand Up To Cancer telecast event, which raised more than $81 million.
This incredible celebrity's final act was also one that could have helped a young person. His agent and general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers Rob Pelinka shared the NBA legend's last words while speaking at his and Gigi's memorial. Gigi Bryant was the NBA legend's daughter who perished in the crash with him, as per the Blast.
Pelinka said that on the morning of the fatal accident, his long-time friend wrote to him over text message while the agent was at church. The Lakers general manager said that he felt an urgency to check his message even when he was in the middle of the service. He had received a text from Bryant asking him if he knew a specific baseball scout in the Southern California area.
The agent almost didn't get back to Bryant since he was at church but decided against it and told the basketball star that he had seen the person at a Lakers game. The NBA star had asked Pelinka about the agent since he wanted to help a friend's young daughter get an internship at the agency so she could get a leg up in the business. This last message was around 9.30 am, when he was inside the helicopter.
Pelinka told Bryant he would help as much as he could and get back to him. The friend Bryant wanted to help was none other than the famed baseball coach, John Altobelli, who also passed away in the crash. Bryant wanted to help Altobelli's daughter, Lexi, to get access to the business. He wanted to help a young person in her career path, even in his last moments. "Kobe's last human act was heroic," Rob told the crowd. Kobe "wanted to use his platform to help shape someone else's future," Pelinka said.
It is only right that those who loved him had only great things to say about the legend. At the memorial, Michael Jordan also spoke up about the man he considered his little brother. "When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died. As I look into this arena and across the globe, a piece of you died or else you wouldn’t be here. Those are the memories that we have to live with and learn from. I promise you from this day forward that I will live with the memories that I had a little brother that I tried to help in every way that I could. Please rest in peace little brother," said Jordan, according to Sportscasting.
References:
https://www.essence.com/feature/kobe-bryant-philanthropy/
https://www.sportscasting.com/kobe-bryants-final-heartbreaking-message-to-michael-jordan/
