Kevin Love’s response to Kobe Bryant’s reported passing says it all

It’s been reported that Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and his young daughter, Gianna, were among a group that passed away in a helicopter crash on Sunday. In relation to that awful news, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love offered his thoughts via Instagram, and his response really says it all.

It was so terrible to hear that one of the best players in NBA history, in Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant, passed away on Sunday. According to an initial report on the matter from TMZ, Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, and three others have been confirmed dead after the helicopter they were in crashed in Calabasas, California, per Bryant’s reps to TMZ and the city of Calabasas as well.

A later update said that there were nine people on the flight that passed, though.

Bryant, 41, and Gianna, who was just 13 years old, were traveling to the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for a travel basketball game.

Another player and parent were also with them and passed, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The five people first confirmed in the accident all died, as the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Headquarters confirmed (and h/t Lake Show Life’s Kenneth Teape).

The Los Angeles Times’ Richard Winton, Dan Woike, Sonali Kohli and Tania Ganguli had more to add on the passing, too, and in terms of the confirmed report, Wojnarowski did so as well. As Teape hit on, Bryant would use helicopters frequently, and “used to travel from his home in Newport Beach to the Staples Center when he was a player.”

Anyhow, the update of there actually being nine people on board makes this even worse. That came from the local sheriff, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

As Teape hit on, Bryant would use helicopters frequently, and “used to travel from his home in Newport Beach to the Staples Center when he was a player.”

This is such an awful tragedy, and our thoughts and condolences go out to Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, and their three other daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri and their extended family and friends, along with the Laker community, at this time.

Additionally, Orange Coast College head baseball coach, John Altobelli (per the Orange County Register’s Steve Fryer) was aboard, which was confirmed by OCC assistant coach Ron La Ruffa.

Altobelli’s wife, Keri Altobelli, and their daughter, Alyssa, according to Altobelli’s brother, Tony, were also among those that died in the crash, Tony told CNN (and h/t Fryer).

The Altobelli family needs thoughts sent their way, too; that also includes the late John and Keri’s daughter, Alexis, and their son, J.J. On Monday, the other names that perished were also revealed, and again, thoughts and condolences go out to the families of Christina Mauser, Sarah and Payton Chester and Ara Zobayan, per CBS LA.

Per CBS LA, Mauser was a coach at nearby Harbor Day School, who also helped Bryant coach. Sarah Chester was Payton’s mother, who was a student an eight grader at St. Margaret’s School; Zobayan was the pilot.

Moreover, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love, who has had his battles with Bryant on the floor back when Love was with the Minnesota Timberwolves and later on near the end of Bryant’s career after Love was traded to the Cavs, had a response to this awful news that says it all on his Instagram (and h/t Cavaliers Nation’s Brad Sullivan).

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7y6wJsAf6t/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

As the aforementioned Sullivan noted, “Bryant and Love were part of the 2012 Team USA squad that won the gold medal at the London Summer Olympics.”

Anyway, Kevin Love’s response is really spot-on here. It’s fitting, quite frankly, of Kevin Love not being to “explain the heaviness” he feels.

Kobe was such a fierce competitor and will always will be considered one of the best players in NBA history, and he was a player that played his entire career with the Lakers, who retired both of his numbers, 8 and 24. Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, five-time NBA champ, two-time NBA Finals MVP, a league MVP, a two-time scoring champ and a member of 12 All-Defensive squads.

For his career, Bryant averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game, as noted by Basketball Reference.

He clearly passed WAY too soon, and of course, Gianna’s passing at just 13 was absolutely horrible, along with the three mentioned Altobelli’s, and the others that reportedly passed. This happened within a day after LeBron James passed Bryant for third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, too; Kobe congratulated LeBron for doing so shortly after, too.

UGH.

Kevin Love’s response, to me, of not being able to say much after this tragedy, to me, says it all.

RIP, Mamba, and again, our thoughts and condolences go out to the Bryant family, the Altobelli’s, Mauser’s, Chester’s and all the others affected by this. This is so unfortunate for so many, and sports fans everywhere, and just the outpouring of tweets as well along with Love’s response indicates that.