On Sunday morning, the tragic news broke that LA Lakers’ #24, Kobe Bryant, had been involved in a fatal helicopter crash and it was not just the world of sports that was left reeling after the death of the NBA legend. Bryant was a world-renowned sportsman, philanthropist and storyteller and he will be remembered for so much, on and off the court.
One such output of Kobe’s contribution outside of the Staples Center was Granity Studios, the multimedia company geared towards creating content focused on finding new ways of telling stories about sports. Together with authors of an athletic background, Kobe created four fantasy fiction novels, the latest of which is due this coming March.
images via amazon
A Granity statement during publication of Epoca describes Kobe as “an Academy Award-winning storyteller, content creator and New York Times bestselling author.” His work with Granity included “building stories to inspire the next generation of athletes to be the best versions of themselves.” One of the most poignant lines appears right after: “In a previous life, Kobe was a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA finals MVP, NBA MVP, and two-time Olympic gold medalist. He hopes to share all that he learned with young athletes around the world.” While he will not be alive to see this through personally, his legacy ensures that young athletes and readers will be learning from him for years to come.
There have been condolences to the Bryant family circulating the internet since the news broke yesterday, a lot of which remembering him for his character. Ivy Claire, author of his book Epoca: The Tree of Ecrof, spoke about Bryant and his dedication before the novel’s release “He never left me hanging”.
“The sound of life and light.” The opening of Kobe’s book. pic.twitter.com/GIciB51tDG
— Nicholas Thompson (@nxthompson) January 26, 2020
Alongside his work in children’s literature, Bryant penned his autobiography The Mamba Mentality. The novel has been sold out on many mediums after the weekend, with many readers taking solace in the book in the aftermath of his death. A key aspect of the book is “an obligation and an opportunity to teach young players, hardcore fans, and devoted students of the game how to play”, further proving just how inspirational Bryant truly was.
It will take a long time for the world to grieve the loss of such a cultural and athletic legend. For now, love your loved ones harder, play your game better and read your books more.
The Wizenard Series: Season One comes out March 31st, 2020.
Image via Goalcast
Featured image via silverscreenandroll
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