‘Our childhood superhero’
JORDAN GERRANS
GROWING up in Philadelphia, Taipans co-captain DJ Newbill and his friends regarded Kobe Bryant as a “superhero”.
At 27 years of age, the second-year Snake was able to watch much of Bryant’s NBA career, with the late Los Angeles Lakers legend, who went to high school in Philadelphia, 14 years his senior.
Just days after Bryant’s tragic passing, Newbill this week recalled stories of the five-time NBA champion playing at local tournaments in Philadelphia as well as in Amateur Athletic Union games as a junior.
“Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant,” Newbill said.
“Words cannot express what he meant to the game and what he meant to us growing up, especially growing up and coming from Philly.
“He was like a superhero.
“Kobe left a great mark on the world, he was loved by so many people and his impact will forever be lived.”
Newbill brushed off suggestions he modelled his game on the great Bryant, but says he tried to emulate his focused approach to basketball.
“I studied mental toughness and he was a guy that you want to model your mental toughness on,” Newbill said.
“To me, to have a guy with so much life left in him and how he lived his life, and his approach to the game.
“To see a guy like him go so early, you just never know when your time is up.”
Bryant died following a helicopter crash that killed nine people, including his daughter Gianna, earlier this week.
The 41-year-old and his daughter were headed to Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, for a youth basketball event when the helicopter crashed.
Taipans coach Mike Kelly, who grew up a Lakers fan in California, says Bryant’s investment and love for his family and daughters stood out once he retired from the NBA.
“In his second life after basketball, he embraced family, that is what it looked like from the outside looking in,” Kelly said.
“He was always around his family and his daughters in the basketball world, that was cool to watch.
“That was something I appreciated.”