The great Kobe Bryant passed away over two years ago, but he lives on in the hearts and minds of so many. Bryant was a larger-than-life figure who had an everlasting impact on the lives of countless individuals during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers and after his days on the court were done as well.
The 23rd of August this year would have been his 44th birthday, and the team he represented for 20 years of his life continue to honor him after his passing. For the second straight year, they handed out Bryant-inspired gifts at the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital to newborns.
A gift to today’s newborns, who now share a birthday with the great Kobe Bryant 🤍
#LakeShow x @UCLAMCH pic.twitter.com/LHjR6NRhDA
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 24, 2022
The card reads, “WELCOME TO THE WORLD! One of your family’s most special days has landed on one of our organization’s most celebrated days. On this year’s Kobe Day, here’s to your next-generation Lakers fan. They’ve already got a little of the Mamba Mentality in them.”
That is a lovely message, and we can only imagine how delighted these babies would be to see that once they are all grown up. A lot of babies in the U.S. now are already linked forever with the great man, with roughly 17,000 of them in the country having been named “Kobe” between 2020 and 2021. He is no longer with us, but his legacy will live on forever.
His passing had sent shockwaves throughout the world, and no one felt it harder than his wife Vanessa, who lost her husband and her daughter that day in the helicopter crash. She posted an emotional message on Instagram on his birthday, in which she stated that she loves and misses him a lot. Bryant’s former teammate Shaquille O’Neal also made an emotional tribute to him in which he stated that he misses him, and we are sure that many others feel that way. All that we can do now is cherish our memories of the great man.
