By Damon Knight, Tribune Correspondent
It’s been a rough month of January in the year 2020, starting with the bushfires in Australia that destroyed over 5,000 buildings, 2,779 homes, and the took lives of 34 people. In China, a virus known as the coronavirus has spread throughout the region and throughout the world. According to Mary Meisenzahi of BusinessInsider.com says, “The death toll of the coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China, has reached at least 81, and the virus has infected more than 2,800 people.” And in the United States, a global icon died in a horrific helicopter crash along with eight other passengers. Kobe Bryant, 41, died on Sunday, January 26th, along with eight other passengers in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Among those passengers was Bryants’ daughter Gigi, she was 13. Bryant played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning 5 NBA championships, an 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, an MVP in 2008 and a two-time NBA Finals MVP winner. When the news broke of their deaths, the world paused and broke down in disbelief. Kobe’s family, friends, coaches, and teammates were all in shock. They all thought this was a hoax and that it wasn’t true. Unfortunately, it was. Laker legend and former teammate Shaquille O’Neal said via Twitter, “There’s no words to express the pain Im going through with this tragedy of loosing my [niece] Gigi & my brother @kobebryant I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW.”
Throughout the week, the entire NBA and the NHL both honored Kobe thorough a moment of silence, pre-game warm-up jerseys, stickers, and a tribute video to honor him and the victims. Kings captain Anze Kopitar said, “For us as hockey players, being so many years kind of connected to the Lakers, we felt like we’ve got to pay some sort of tribute,” Kopitar told the Kings’ television broadcasters. “It’s a little unorthodox for our dress code, but we wanted to pay our respects.”
