The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘Still hard to grip’
Auriemma reflects on loss of Kobe and Gianna Bryant
UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma is still trying to come to grips with the death of NBA star Kobe Bryant.
Tuesday marked one year since the tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, that killed Bryant, 41; his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna; and seven other people on board.
“I’m amazed that it’s been a year already,” Auriemma said Tuesday on a Zoom call. “I’m amazed that so much has transpired since last January. It doesn’t seem that long ago, does it?”
The loss of Bryant reverberated through the sports world, including at UConn, where Bryant had strong ties. Bryant and his daughter attended Senior Day in 2019 at Gampel Pavilion, and afterward visited the team’s locker room. Bryant was also at the 2018 Final Four in Columbus, Ohio, and a game against UCLA in Los Angeles in 2017.
UConn honored Kobe and Gianna a day after their deaths during an exhibition versus the U.S. national team at the XL Center. The
Huskies draped a No. 2 jersey — the number worn by Gianna — on their bench. A bouquet wrapped in blue and white ribbons rested on one of the chairs. In February, Auriemma spoke at Bryant’s memorial service in Los Angeles, remembering him as a fierce competitor, loving father and ambassador for women’s basketball.
“I tried to write a long flowing speech about basketball, and I can’t do it,” the UConn women’s basketball coach told the 20,000 in attendance at the
Staples Center. “There’s too many thoughts in my head ever since Vanessa (Bryant) asked me to speak. There’s too many things that made me realize more that I’m here as a father, not as a basketball coach.”
The Hall of Fame coach said he was at his restaurant in Manchester recently when highlights of Bryant appeared on one of the TVs.
“I just kind of stood there and watched it a few minutes,” said Auriemma, 66. “It’s almost like you needed a reminder. You’ve been hit with so many things this past year. It was good to get reminded the other day. It was really good.
“Being reminded brings a lot of melancholiness to the situation.”
Following his retirement from the NBA in 2016, Bryant became a vocal supporter of women’s basketball, and he forged a close friendship with Auriemma, whom he had met at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Gianna was especially fond of the Huskies, and had hoped to play for them someday.
“It’s still hard to grip,” Auriemma said. “I can’t get a grip on it. Hard to fathom.”
A wave of tributes poured out on social media marking the anniversary. On Twitter, the Huskies shared a letter that Gianna sent them following their Final Four loss in 2017.
“I’m so sorry you lost, but it gives you extra time to practice and get better before the next one!” Gianna wrote. “Just think …
“When you think you can’t, UConn.”
Said Auriemma: “All the noise that’s happened this year, all the incredible Hall of Famers that have died this year, death has been a big part of this year.
“But his death, that’s a hard one to reconcile.”