It felt weird not saying something about Kobe Bryant's passing, so I waited a few days.
I never met Kobe but like a lot of you I felt like I knew him. Having seen him grow up in the public eye, seeing his brashness but also his work ethic, his highs and lows and finally seeing him become such a steward of the game as well as a mentor. It was hard not to smile seeing him go from a kid to a man. And as a father, it was such a familiar feeling seeing him beaming with pride at GiGi as she fell in love with the game that he helped to shape. His adoration for all of his girls and Vanessa was evident as was their love toward him.
His family lost their father, their brother, their son, their husband. The game lost a worthy spokesman. This generation lost a mentor, a legend and an icon. There was so much more left to this story for Kobe, for GiGi for all of those that were lost. Not sure it will ever feel real.