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What Kobe Bryant meant to the game of football

By J.C. Gonzalez

Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant (C L) and Barcelona team captain Andrés Iniesta Luján (C R) pose with other members of the FC Barcelona football team before a training session at the StarHub Stadium in Carson, California, on July 20, 2015. Barcelona will play the LA Galaxy in an International Champions Cup match on July 21. AFP PHOTO/MARK RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant (C L) and Barcelona team captain Andrés Iniesta Luján (C R) pose with other members of the FC Barcelona football team before a training session at the StarHub Stadium in Carson, California, on July 20, 2015. Barcelona will play the LA Galaxy in an International Champions Cup match on July 21. AFP PHOTO/MARK RALSTON (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Kobe Bryant may have been an NBA star, but his love and admiration for football has made him so dearly missed by everyone within the beautiful game.

Kobe Bryant was a basketball star, but he was so much more than that. The Black Mamba was an icon of athletic achievement, competitiveness, and drive to be the best, and nothing says more about his tremendous impact than the outpouring of love from the football community following his tragic death in a helicopter accident near Calabasas, California.

The news shook the sporting world around the globe, with numerous footballers posting social media tributes as the story broke that Bryant, 41, had died. PSG superstar Neymar, after scoring in his team’s 2-0 win against Lille, flashed the number 24 which adorned Bryant’s iconic jersey, before pointing to the sky in prayer.

Countless stars, from Raheem Sterling to Gareth Bale, to the official FC Barcelona website took the opportunity to honor Bryant. The 18-time All-Star and five-time NBA Champion was a well-known Barcelona supporter, and was often seen with and around the club, including sitting in on their preseason International Champions Cup training near Los Angeles. More than just his love for the world’s game, however, he was symbolic of the growing bond between the two sports.

That bond appears to be growing, after several PSG stars showed out at the NBA’s Paris game, former NBA star Steve Nash is a pundit on the American coverage of the UEFA Champions League, while LeBron James is a famously a stock holder in European Champions Liverpool. In an increasingly globalized sporting world, basketball in many ways is aiming to model itself similarly to European football, and Bryant, as one of the sport’s truly global stars, was one of the first to bridge that gap.

When Bryant’s father was playing professional basketball overseas in Italy, a young Kobe learned to speak fluent Italian and even picked up playing football, all the while supporting AC Milan. Bryant also spoke Spanish, and would often communicate on the court with former Barcelona basketball star Pau Gasol using the language during their time together on the Los Angeles Lakers.

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For nearly everyone who has ever played a sport, Kobe is an inspiration. His work ethic, or Mamba Mentality, is famous, and so many of his influences and connections come from the game we love, even if his incredible athletic achievement came on the hardwood. Today we honor one of the greatest athletes and human beings the world of sport was lucky to know. The game of football salutes you, Kobe Bryant, for all you have done. May you rest in peace.

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