re: Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash

Man, I got choked up reading that. Well done Kobe, well done

Where Amazing Happens

quote:

---

This was a post I found on FB by an Air Force pilot:

This one hurts a little. I know Kobe was a sports super star that influenced millions, and we never met, but he's been a hero of mine since college. This is a tough one to take.

All through my childhood, I was a lakers fan, but I lived overseas, and could never watch the games. When I finally went to the Air Force academy and could watch Lakers games, Kobe joined the team. We are the same age, our journey through our careers started at the same time. I was immediately a huge fan. He had that same drive and killer instinct that I remembered seeing from Michael as a kid.

During pilot training, the Lakers played the Kings in the playoffs. Every game I wore my favorite #8 Kobe jersey and they won the series and then the Championship. When I went up for my first checkride in T-37's, I was nervous, and decided to fly with the #8 jersey under my flight suit for good karma, since it won the Lakers a championship! I aced the checkride... and since pilots are superstitious as hell, I've been flying with it ever since... almost 19 years now. On the most important or dangerous sorties, I wont fly without it. I've flown that #8 all over the world. I wore it to the north pole, during a historic intercept flight that had never been done in Air Force history. I wore it on flying trips to the Middle East... twice. I wore it the first time an F-15C took off from Ukraine... ever. I never fly any sortie of meaning without it.

In fact, during my first assignment in F-15's, I showed up to the squadron bar, fresh from a flight, with my jersey showing slightly from under my flight suit collar. My tipsy Squadron Commander saw it, yelled WTF, and violently ripped the jersey out from under my flight suit, and tore it up, not knowing what it meant to me. I was devastated, and as a superstitious pilot, scared shitless. The older IP's and bros, including Khan Sitler and Sherman Armentrout read him the riot act later (unbeknownst to me). After a night of drinking, I woke up to find a brand new, identical #8 kobe jersey slid under my dorm door. Still to this day I have no idea who purchased it. But nobody laid a damn finger on it since then... this is the way.

But that sealed it. At my callsign naming shortly after, there was no contest. My name was chosen as "jersey". Forever linked to the #8.

I watched Kobe get to the top and win all 5 times. I took my son to a Kobe game at Staples in 2013 where he hit the game winner. My son and I watched with some tears during Kobe's final game, the 60 point "mamba out" gem. Kobe and I were always the same age... I cant even climb out of the jet without new aches, and he was scoring 60 in his farewell!

In 2016 I went to a Laker's game and met the Buss family. We were given a tour of the facilities by the Chief security officer, who was good friends with Kobe. I showed him the picture of me flying the #8, and he sent it to kobe (saved in his phone as "Mamba") the text reply from kobe? "That's what I'm fricking talking about!"

I was looking forward to someday giving him an incentive ride in the F-15. We had the contacts finally to give it a shot. It would have been the last thing to look forward to in this long career of mine. But then this happened. At a minimum, I wish I could have met him, to tell him all of this, and show him the pictures, have a beer, and talk about being damn good at what we do.

But instead I'll just say, thanks for the memories #8. We were both flawed men, but we rose above and made a difference. You will always be an inspiration to me. Rest in peace.

-Jersey

---

LINK

Video of Shaq talking about his recent struggles.. He’s been through a lot lately with the loss of his sister, now one of his best friends..

People forget Shaq has been dealing with his son being incredibly ill as well. He hasn’t had an easy go of things lately, and working through all of his recent loss and struggle really took its toll.

It’s a damn shame he has to feel this and beat up on himself over it with all he’s faced of late.

They went 11 years without talking after Shaq left the Lakers until Kobe came on Shaw’s podcast before the 2016 season.

quote:

---

They went 11 years without talking after Shaq left the Lakers until Kobe came on Shaw’s podcast before the 2016 season.

---

That’s not true on the slightest. They talked a good amount in private the All-star game weekend when they were co-mvps

That’s cool!

quote:

---

Shaq just cleared the record on all of that on the Inside the NBA special fwiw.

---

What was that?

quote:

---

I don't think it's that crazy. They weren't family.

---

He texted Shaq's son literally hours before the crash.

Yeah they weren't family