The entirety of the sports world remains in mourning after Kobe Bryant — along with his daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others — were tragically killed in a helicopter crash.
Almost immediately following the release of this news, the whole world stopped to pay tribute to Bryant, his daughter, and his legacy. Figures from all around sports and other walks of life shared their stories of Bryant and just how big of an impact the Los Angeles Lakers legend had.
It seemed that every few minutes, a new person would come out with a different story of Bryant, each one breaking more hearts than the last. LeBron James, Lamar Odom, Shaquille O’Neal, and countless others spoke about Bryant’s legacy and what he meant to them on an individual level. But perhaps the most touching and moving tribute came from ESPN host Elle Duncan.
Duncan told her story of the one conversation she ever had with Bryant, a 30-minute exchange about the wonders of raising girls, via SportsCenter:
"I would have 5 more girls if I could. I'm a girl dad."@elleduncanESPN's story about how much Kobe loved his daughters is something special. pic.twitter.com/1KJx17QRjY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 28, 2020
Duncan took to Twitter after her story went viral to express her gratitude for all the support. She also said she’s hoping to see pictures of proud girl dad’s with their daughters as she — as well as everyone — could use the positivity at this time:
I’m so moved by the outpouring of support behind my story about Kobe. And I love that #girldad is trending.. so for all those proud fathers who still have their girls to love on can you flood my timeline with pics of you and your flock. Honestly I need it as much as anyone rt now
— Elle Duncan (@elleduncanESPN) January 28, 2020
Duncan’s beautiful story about Bryant resonates so strongly, not only among fans of Bryant but with parents everywhere. Bryant’s pride in being a father to four daughters was hardly a secret, and it had become the defining feature of his post-basketball life.
Now, with Bryant gone and everyone scrambling to figure out how to move on, it’s important stories like this about him remain commonplace. It’s important that everyone knows who Bryant was off the court and that is a proud and loving girl dad.