Welcome to Down to Dunk. I'm your host, Andrew Schlect. We're part of the Athletic Podcast Network. I didn't think that this, obviously I didn't think this would be the podcast that we're recording today. I got McKellie Bear on the line with me. Kobe Bryant has passed away. He and his daughter,

Gigi, along with John Altebelli, who was a longtime coach at Orange Coast College. His wife,

Kerry and their daughter, Alyssa, I want to thank Vito for reminding us to mention them.

We're all killed in a helicopter accident that was something that Kobe did often.

That helicopter was something he was in all the time. I listened to Stephen A. Smith last night

talk about it. That that's how they got to

practice. And so just on his way to practice, they had an accident and they all passed away. And

it's, it's a sad day. Yesterday was a really sad day.

I grew up a Shaq fan, and obviously that puts you in a kind of tenuous spot when it comes to Kobe Bryant.

But, you know, since I was a little kid, I love Shaq since his magic days, and then

you're automatically just tied to Kobe.

And then when Shaq and Kobe split, I kind of stayed a Lakers fan.

There was just something intriguing about it.

And I want to talk more about that in a minute.

But, McKelley, any thoughts from you about Kobe's career or just in general about the situation?

Yeah.

I went on Kobe was in his prime.

I wasn't really watching a ton of NBA basketball.

I was more of a Euro League kind of guy.

Of course, I know who Kobe was for Olympics and stuff like that.

Or just for the fact that he was very fluent in Italian and that was reason to be prideful of our

basketball culture. Um, you, you, you know me, uh, well and you know about my story and whatever.

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