Before Manny Pacquiao made boxing a national sport, there was basketball. If I were asked to pluck three memories from my childhood in a split second, one of them would be watching basketball on TV or going to the local basketball game on the weekends.

For my generation, it was Michael Jordan who symbolised the best and the brightest of the sport. After him, there were many other equally phenomenal talents but one stood out – Kobe Bryant.

Source: Twitter

Source: Twitter

I’m no superfan. But a friend of mine, who named his first-born Kobe, posted on Facebook how he felt about his hero’s death and it reminded me of that part of my identity that I’ve long forgotten but is indelibly part of who I am.

The Filipinos' love for the sport is just one of the cultural legacies handed to us by the American rule between 1898 to 1946. The Philippine Basketball Association or PBA is the first professional basketball association in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the US’ National Basketball Association (NBA).

Ginebra was the hottest basketball team in the 80s.

Fourty eight years doesn’t seem like a long time in history but it was enough to shape Filipino culture (and sub-cultures) to the point that we are so different to our Asian neighbours. And yet the very thing that made us unrecognisable to ourselves made it much easier for us to assimilate as immigrants in English-speaking countries. One of life’s little ironies.

But why did Kobe’s death affect me so much? Partly because he died so young. At 41, he was just beginning his next chapter. He had already accomplished so much as a basketball player but he still had so much to give as a philanthropist, mentor and role model. His death is a reminder that life is unpredictable and can change in a blink of an eye.

I also started looking at his Instagram posts and discovered a man who prioritised and took pride of his family. Instead of focusing on his success and his personal brand, he always placed the spotlight on his family and his purpose.

Tributes started pouring in from all around the world and they weren’t just focused on his prodigious talent but on how generous he was as a human being.

It will take time for people to stop grieving about his death and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. We need to stop the clock for just a little longer to honour his passing. He showed us that humanity has the potential to be great and kind at the same time. Kobe Bryant lived life to the fullest. #MambaOut 

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