0:08

Husband, father, creator

0:11

in basketball icon, Kobe Bryant

0:13

leaves a complex legacy. I'm Steve Gregory

0:15

and this is the death in life of Kobe

0:18

Bryant. Cindy

0:23

Borne is a sports reporter with the Washington

0:25

Post and provided a recap on Brian's

0:27

legacy the day after he died. Probably

0:30

really was the Lakers. He embodied

0:32

the Lakers son. Some players came and

0:35

went, You know, Kobe was such a warrior

0:37

on the basketball court, and he famously

0:39

played with a torn achilles and finally

0:41

he walked away. He had gotten as much out of

0:43

his body as he could after the season,

0:46

and he really sort of moved on then

0:48

into his daughter's athleticism,

0:51

into their athletic endeavors. And

0:53

his second daughter, um Gianna,

0:56

who was thirteen, was

0:58

interested in basketball. She wanted to play in the w

1:01

n b A, she wanted to go to Yukon, and

1:03

Kobe found himself pulled back into basketball

1:06

and really enjoying it again through her eyes.

1:08

There will be people who will remember an

1:11

allegation of a sexual assault and how that was

1:13

dealt with. It is an unquestionably ugly

1:15

part of his legacy. Um It's one

1:17

that is some point receded into

1:19

the background, but it does still

1:21

exist. Kurt

1:30

Alexander, the host of the nationally syndicated

1:33

radio show Big Boys Neighborhood, says

1:35

he was a personal friend of Bryant's and knew

1:37

him when he first arrived in l A. I

1:40

asked him what he thought Bryant's legacy

1:42

could be. Man, I would

1:44

have to say the super

1:47

human being legacy. You know, it's not a legacy

1:49

of basketball. You know, there's a

1:51

lot of basketball fans, but

1:53

I think that people love Kobe

1:56

as Kobe Bryant. There's

1:59

there's a there's an umbrella, there's

2:01

the top, and then everything else falls into

2:04

There's Kobe Bryant, and then there's basketball

2:07

player father. There's so many things that fall

2:09

under that. So I think the legacy

2:12

is just Kobe Bryant. You

2:14

can't define Kobe Bryant by basketball.

2:16

I've known Kobe years and I

2:18

don't say, oh, you know when I enter or

2:21

whatever. I don't I don't know how many right

2:23

now? What is he five rings? Like?

2:26

And that's my guests just like calculating.

2:29

But I never equated Kobe

2:31

to the jewelry on his finger, the

2:34

trophies at the Staples Center, it was

2:36

just Kobe Bryant. Everything else fell under that. So

2:38

I think that when we think of legacy,

2:40

hold Kobe Bryant as a legacy,

2:42

not as a legendary basketball player. Sports

2:44

journalist Larry Brown owns the website Larry

2:47

brown sports dot com and covered the crash

2:49

that morning. He says Bryant's legacy

2:52

is more sports centric. I

2:54

mean, absolutely beloved

2:57

in Los Angeles, and there

3:01

are so many great Lakers, Magic

3:04

Johnson and Kareema,

3:06

Jerry West. I mean, you look up at the rafters

3:09

at Staples and see all the jerseys up there.

3:11

There's so many great Lakers, um

3:13

shack. You know. It's but it's

3:16

really hard to argue against

3:18

Kobe as the greatest, for the length

3:20

of time he spent with the team, for everything

3:22

he accomplished with the team. It's it's hard to argue

3:24

against that. It's a great legacy. I

3:27

think another part of his legacy is

3:30

how beloved he was, not

3:32

just by basketball fans, but multicultural

3:36

appeal. You know, one of

3:38

the things about Kobe was not only

3:41

did he grow up speaking Italian,

3:43

but he knew Spanish and he knew other

3:45

languages, and so he could communicate.

3:47

He knew that Laker fans were a very

3:49

diverse fan base. Um,

3:52

lots of Persian Laker fans,

3:55

lots of Asian ones, Aremenian

3:57

Laker fans, and he he

3:59

tried to appeal to all of them, and he appealed

4:01

to all of them. And so I think Kobe's

4:04

appeal was transcended

4:07

culture because of his

4:09

character, his determination and

4:11

his will to win. It just

4:14

crosses all cultures and attracts

4:16

people. And that's part

4:18

of his legacy. And then you know, really

4:20

after his retirement, It wasn't

4:23

until after his death and I started to hear

4:25

all these stories people were telling

4:28

about how much Kobe gave back

4:30

to the game of basketball that I

4:33

really started to see his legacy.

4:35

It wasn't just about what he accomplished on the court,

4:38

but so much of his legacy

4:40

was about what he did after he

4:43

had retired. All

4:45

these players were coming out and talking about

4:47

how Kobe would would break down

4:49

game footage for them and would try

4:52

and work in one on one sessions

4:54

with them. Um, he

4:56

was trying to give back everything

4:59

that he had learned earned over

5:01

the course of his career to the current players

5:04

so that they could keep it going forward so that

5:06

the game of basketball would not lose

5:09

all that knowledge, uh, and that

5:11

it would continue to be passed down. And that's such

5:13

a big part of his legacy, was

5:16

what he gave back to the game because he recognized

5:18

how much it gave to him. And

5:21

Uh, I think that message was conveyed

5:24

so clearly that I

5:26

hadn't realized it prior to his death, but afterwards,

5:29

when all these players were talking

5:31

about what he had done for them,

5:34

I really started to see it. And and

5:36

you know, Kobe didn't publicize that, UM,

5:39

and I respect him more for not publicizing

5:41

that that we found out later through these

5:43

people, And I think that's part of his legacy.

5:46

It's a really nice part of his legacy. Kevin

5:48

Beggs is the chairman of lions Gate Television

5:51

and a board member of My Friend's Place, a nonprofit

5:53

dedicated to helping young people experiencing

5:55

homelessness. We've talked about Brian's

5:57

involvement with the organization in previous episodes.

6:00

Begs says two of the best moments at My Friends

6:03

Place finding out Bryant wanted

6:05

to get involved and the time

6:07

he provided enough funding to renovate

6:09

the facility in Hollywood Begs says

6:11

Bryant was one of a kind. I mean,

6:13

I think his legacy on the court extends

6:16

to his legacy and all he

6:18

does, whether it was in film

6:20

and television, or philanthropy or or

6:22

business. You know, a

6:25

relentless commitment to excellence. Right.

6:27

Nobody can come close

6:29

to the work ethic. We've seen the

6:31

workouts and the way UH

6:34

he prepared and the singular

6:36

focus on winning and UH

6:39

and on teamwork, and I you know, these

6:42

are lessons that I think everyone

6:44

can learn from in every aspect

6:46

of their life, whether they're a professional superstar

6:50

playing you know at the

6:51

A's the greatest arena and

6:54

level of professional basketball, or anything

6:56

else. But you know, hard,

6:58

hard work and UH

7:01

and commitment to excellence will pay

7:03

off. And I think that's speaks

7:06

to us as citizens of l A, as

7:08

professionals in our work lives and

7:10

in our family, UM, in philanthropic

7:13

endeavors. So to me, that's you

7:16

know, his his consistency of message.

7:19

It goes across everything he does and everything

7:21

he did. And I think that's that's

7:23

the legacy I'm going to focus on. And I think

7:25

that's one that we can all take with us despite

7:28

him not being with us anymore.

7:30

It's the Ellen Kay Q and a Hellen Coast

7:33

one of three point five, and we

7:35

ask the question first color with the right answer. Ellen

7:38

kay is a popular radio host and well

7:40

known voiceover artist in Los Angeles. He's

7:42

been the announcer for the Academy Awards,

7:44

the Grammys, and the Emmy's, and she

7:47

was also the announcer for Bryant's memorial

7:49

at Staple Center. Throughout the years,

7:51

she remembers seeing Bryant in the hallways

7:53

of her radio station. Kobe has

7:56

been coming in here to my heart since

7:58

before we were iHeart. So when he first

8:00

got here, you know Vic the Brick. Vic

8:04

befriended Kobe right away and they

8:06

used to sit on the beach together. Maybe

8:08

Vick has told you the story and

8:10

talk about life, and so Vic brought

8:12

him by the Rick Dys Show several

8:14

times. So there's early Kobe right.

8:17

Then Kobe ends up marrying Vanessa,

8:19

who was a really good friend of Patti Rodriguez,

8:21

who was on our show, and so there

8:24

was more Kobe and that connection,

8:26

and then you know, Kobe was coming

8:28

into my heart for interviews. I

8:31

mean up until I would say

8:34

a month before he he passed.

8:36

There was just always a connection. He loved to come

8:39

in and do radio, I know, with you know

8:41

a M five SEV L A sports and he

8:44

was just always kind of

8:46

like a regular I would say,

8:48

so yeah, yeah, I knew Kobe through

8:50

the years and we always would take My

8:53

son is nineteen now, but one

8:55

of the things that that we made

8:57

a point of doing as he was growing up was

9:00

taking him to see the greats when they played. We took

9:02

him to see David Beckham bendit

9:04

when he was at the Galaxy. Of

9:06

of course he saw Shack

9:09

play, Luke Robotie,

9:11

you know, any sports great We're

9:14

right there. We just wanted him

9:16

to see, like, look at this. So

9:19

Kobe was one of our one of our favorites

9:21

to go and watch. So when I asked

9:24

what she thought Bryant's legacy might be,

9:26

Wow, I think it is. You know, I love

9:28

your family, love your city,

9:31

do what you love with all of your heart.

9:34

I think his legacy is is one of

9:37

excellence. Yeah. I

9:39

think he's a reminder that

9:42

he really loved every minute

9:45

of his life. I think he's a lesson

9:47

in living coming

9:50

up. The Mayor of Los Angeles says

9:53

Briant's legacy is about grit and

9:55

love, as the death and life of Kobe

9:57

Bryant continues, m

10:00

M. Los

10:19

Angeles County Sheriff alex Via Nueva says

10:21

he remembers being a deputy when he became

10:23

a big fan of Bryant's and when asked about

10:25

Brian's legacy, I think twofold

10:28

his legacy probably

10:30

one of the fiercest competitors professional

10:33

sports has ever seen. And

10:35

uh uh, father figure,

10:38

someone was really made that

10:40

switch, you know, from professional

10:43

career to his family life.

10:45

And he gave everything for his family

10:47

and he left nothing, nothing

10:50

on the in the tank at all and everything he did.

10:52

Some have felt Bryan's legacy is rooted

10:54

in basketball, while others believe Bryant's

10:56

legacy comes from being a personal role

10:59

model. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti

11:01

I think there's two legacies

11:04

that Kobe leaves behind. One is

11:06

of grit, you

11:09

know, the grit and greatness that

11:11

he showed um that you just

11:13

if you want to be great, you gotta work at it.

11:15

It doesn't come easy. It doesn't matter if

11:18

you're talented. Talent A lot of people are talented

11:20

in this town. A lot of people are talented in

11:22

this world, but you gotta want it, you

11:24

gotta fight for it. And then I

11:26

think the second, though he didn't express it as

11:28

such, was love. You know. I

11:31

think the way he saw him

11:33

as a family man, the way you

11:35

know, he and Vanessa so so incredibly

11:38

close, and the love of

11:40

a father for a daughter, which I think for

11:42

all of us that were fathers, which just

11:44

blew us away. I mean he

11:46

he himself said that he was so

11:48

glad his career ended so that he could

11:50

spend this time watching his girls grow

11:53

up. And that

11:56

is the legacy that you leave behind what

11:58

you did and who you love of And

12:01

what he did was all about l

12:03

a greatness, and what he showed was all about

12:05

l a love. The

12:14

horrific crash that killed Bryant, his

12:16

daughter, and seven others would cause a chain

12:18

reaction of events that has led

12:21

or could possibly lead to change

12:24

in TSB. Board member Jennifer Hammondy was

12:26

the head of the go team that arrived at the crash

12:28

site. She spoke to the media and

12:30

also pointed out related safety recommendations.

12:33

The f a A refused to act upon

12:35

recommendations that have been issued in the

12:38

past, that the

12:40

f a A A has failed to act on I

12:42

want to talk talk about. I

12:45

was asked about Terrain Awareness

12:47

and Warning System or TAUS,

12:50

which provides terrain information to the

12:52

pilot. I was asked whether that was

12:54

on this helicopter. We have verified it

12:56

was not. In

12:59

two thousand four, the NTSB investigated

13:01

a crash involving inn s SEV S

13:04

A in Galveston, Texas, which killed

13:06

ten people. We

13:08

issued a recommendation to the Federal Aviation

13:11

Administration that stated require

13:14

all existing and new US

13:16

registered turbine powered rotorcraft

13:19

certificated for six or more passenger

13:22

seats to be equipped with the terrain

13:24

Awareness and Warning System.

13:28

They did not implement the recommendation. We

13:33

closed the recommendation as unacceptable.

13:36

Little did Homindy know at the time that lawmakers

13:38

were paying attention. California

13:42

lawmakers are pushing for the Kobe

13:44

and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety

13:46

Act. It would require all helicopters

13:49

with six or more passengers to have to rain

13:51

awareness equipment. Senator Diane

13:53

Feinstein and Representative Brad Sherman

13:56

reintroduced this bill just one

13:58

day, but the legislation mirror is exactly

14:00

the recommendations Homini spoke of in her media

14:03

briefing at the scene of the crash. Bryant's

14:05

wife, Vanessa would weigh in, saying

14:07

she strongly urges the United States Congress

14:10

passive federal law that would improve the safety

14:12

of helicopters operating in this country.

14:15

She believes there is a chance that Kobe and Gianna

14:17

would still be alive today if

14:19

their helicopter had been equipped with the safety

14:21

equipment required by this pending federal

14:24

legislation. Another bit of legislation

14:26

a little closer to home, was based on actions

14:29

of some of the deputies who were among the first

14:31

responders at the scene of the crash. Sources

14:33

tell k cal Mine Tonight Ellie Chemist Sheriff's

14:35

deputies who responded to the crash site are

14:37

accused of taking graphic photos and

14:39

then sharing them. Were told those photos

14:42

of the scene and victims remains were

14:44

shared with other officials who had not. The

14:46

incident was enough to prompt a lawsuit

14:48

from Brian's widow for emotional distress.

14:51

Ellie County Sheriff Alex Viennueva says he

14:53

was so disgusted by the actions of the deputies

14:55

he co sponsored legislation which would

14:57

make it a crime for public safety personnel

15:00

to take or share non official pictures

15:02

of a crash site or disaster scene,

15:04

especially those of a graphic nature. Beyond

15:11

the legal legacies Briant's death leaves

15:13

behind, there are also charities that

15:15

continue to thrive because of Brian's generosity.

15:18

To date, Briant, along with his wife,

15:21

donated money or volunteered their time

15:23

to at least ten nonprofit organizations,

15:25

including Stand Up to Cancer, Make

15:27

a Wish, United Way in the National

15:30

Museum of African American History and Culture.

15:33

Bryant's creative legacy includes a

15:35

series of children's books and other media

15:37

projects, not the least of which is

15:39

Dear Basketball, the animated short

15:41

film based on a published letter, a

15:44

film that would also win an oscar and

15:46

propel Bryant into another league. Altogether

15:49

Free because

15:53

that's what you do when someone makes you feel as

15:55

alive as you've made me feel. You

16:00

gave a Sushio, Boys, Lay Dream, and

16:03

I Always Love Before. When

16:07

exploring Bryant's legacy, there were many

16:10

views from people of varying background, but

16:12

there seemed to be a common theme among them.

16:15

Perhaps Mike Asner, owner of the website

16:17

Kobe mural dot Com sums it up

16:19

best. His legacy to me is twofold

16:21

at a very high level. It's obviously him

16:23

as a champion and what he did for the city

16:26

and for Lakers fans across the world, and as a

16:28

die hard Laker fan. I'm grateful for that forever.

16:31

But his legacy, more

16:33

so, I think today than ever, is his work ethic and

16:36

his mentality. And the

16:38

thing that has stuck with me during this entire process,

16:40

just talking to fans and artists, is

16:43

it doesn't matter what you do, who you are, doesn't

16:45

matter. You can imply what this man did

16:47

in his life, the way he worked, how

16:50

early he got up, how he pushed

16:52

through during those days when you didn't want to work as hard.

16:55

That applies to everybody, every ethnicity,

16:57

every background. So for me personally,

17:00

that's the thing I'll always stick out for me is as

17:02

his true legacy, or

17:10

as Bryant once said, the most

17:13

important thing is to try and inspire people

17:15

so that they can be great at

17:17

whatever they want to do. I

17:22

love you always, Kobe.

17:49

The Death and Life of Kobe Bryant is

17:51

produced by Steve Gregory and Jacob Gonzalez.

17:54

And is a production of k FI news at I

17:56

Heeart Media, Los Angeles, the iHeart

17:58

podcast Network. A

18:02

p insis Lolations,

18:07

consistance in Sudan to

18:10

insistantation, instant

18:15

instantlution and insist

18:18

in st