‘State of shock’: Dawn Staley, Gamecocks from all sports mourn Kobe Bryant’s death
The South Carolina Gamecocks joined the world in mourning the tragic death Sunday of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant.
Bryant and his daughter Gianna were among five people killed when a helicopter crashed into a Calabasas hill near Malibu, Calif., on Sunday, McClatchy News reported. Kobe Bryant was 41. Gianna Bryant was 13.
“It’s horrific,” South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley said after Sunday’s 88-53 road win over Georgia. “Kobe, since he retired, he dedicated his life to his little girls, and her career and basketball. It’s unfortunate that we don’t get a chance to see him coaching, to see him impact girls’ lives, because, you know, he just talked about WNBA players being able to play in the NBA.
“We need more people like Kobe Bryant sticking up for women’s basketball. He did it at the highest level, and we’re praying for him. Godspeed to his family and all of us who had a connection to him.”
Staley said she and her coaching staff found out the news just before the Gamecocks played Georgia. They waited to tell their players until after the game, and in a video posted by the team’s official account on Twitter, Staley told a somber locker room that they played “like he played it”
“Life is incredibly short,” Staley said to her players in the video. “It’s incredibly short. So we gotta count our blessings, because we’re here and we live to see another day, and that’s not always promised to us, so take advantage of it. Be a good teammate. Be a good friend. Be a good ‘bae’. All of it. Be true to who you are and true to other people. That’s all we can do, because we never know.”
South Carolina football QB Ryan Hilinski shared this via Twitter: “Tomorrow is never promised. Hug and kiss your loved ones. When they walk out the door, tell them you love them, no matter where they may be going. Grew up watching Kobe in LA, had a #8 and #24 jersey. Gone too soon, Mamba. Prayers to his family and everyone involved!”
Gamecock basketball and NBA legend Alex English had this one-word reaction on social media: “Devastated.”
Here are other reactions from South Carolina Gamecocks from around Twitter about Bryant’s death.
This story was originally published January 26, 2020 at 5:01 PM.
