Report: NBA legend Kobe Bryant passes at 41 years young

LAGUNA BEACH, CA - OCTOBER 25: Kobe Bryant speaks on stage at WSJ.D LIVE After Dark at Montage Laguna Beach on October 25, 2016 in Laguna Beach, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Dow Jones)
LAGUNA BEACH, CA - OCTOBER 25: Kobe Bryant speaks on stage at WSJ.D LIVE After Dark at Montage Laguna Beach on October 25, 2016 in Laguna Beach, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Dow Jones) /
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The sports world is in mourning as news has broken that NBA legend Kobe Bryant is no longer with us.

Often, we’re reminded in the sports world that life is about more the games we watch and love. This past summer lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan and NBA legend Kobe Bryant saw his fourth daughter born.

Seven months later, we’re all trying to find the words to express our sadness as news broke on January 26th that the man we affectionately refer to as ‘The Mamba’ and his daughter Gianna are no longer with us.

To Eagles fans, he wasn’t just one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He was one of us. He loved the Eagles and even met with the team to offer words of encouragement prior to Philly winning its first-ever Super Bowl title.

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Most of us can’t share the joy he had of winning at basketball’s highest level, but we can share his love for his team and the city of Philadelphia. Kobe’s someone who loved the ‘Birds’ and cheered for them every single Sunday just like the rest of us. When he won, it was just like the rest of us won.

We all could talk about what he did on the basketball court, his 18 All-Star selections, his five NBA titles or how he was the only person who truly could be referred to as the closest thing basketball fans saw to Michael Jordan, but more important than that, today is about keeping his family, including his wife Vanessa Laine Bryant and their four beautiful daughters in our thoughts and our prayers.

Bryant passes at 41 years young. During his career, he wore both the number 24 and the number eight, but he’ll always be first in our hearts.