[ad_1] The text from an unfamiliar 949 number arrived at some ungodly hour in the spring of 2016. I don't have it anymore. I wish I did."It's Kobe. Call me."I assumed it was a hoax. I called my colleague Ramona Shelburne. I recited the number. She said it was the real Kobe.I pivoted into fear. I started covering the NBA in 2010 as Kobe Bryant entered his twilight. It went
[ad_1] The second half of the regular season is underway. The No. 1 spot in our rankings has been owned by the Milwaukee Bucks in each of the previous seven weeks, and there is arguably some cushion between the best team in the NBA and the rest of the league.It is starting to resemble 2019, with the Toronto Raptors rising to No. 2 in the Eastern Conference on the strength
[ad_1] Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward disputes that he tried to commit a free throw lane violation to ensure that Kobe Bryant would score 60 points in the final game of his career.Hayward took to Twitter on Monday after NBC commentator Mike Tirico, who was calling the game for ESPN at the time, pointed out the movement during an appearance on The Ringer's "Ryen Russillo Podcast."He got 60 on me
[ad_1] NBA legend Kobe Bryant and one of his daughters were among nine people killed Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, a source confirmed to ESPN. Bryant was 41.Bryant was on his way to a youth basketball game with his daughter Gianna Bryant, who was 13, when the helicopter crashed. Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a news conference that there were no survivors, and according
[ad_1] LeBron James, in his first public reaction to the death of Kobe Bryant, said he will take on the legacy of the Lakers great as his own responsibility.James, in a lengthy post to Instagram, said he was "heartbroken and devastated" by the death of Bryant and his daughter Sunday in a helicopter crash and that he has "much more I want to say but just can't right now because
[ad_1] Longtime Lakers fan and season ticketholder Jack Nicholson spoke with KCBS' Jim Hill about the loss of Kobe Bryant."My reaction is the same as almost all of L.A. You just suddenly, where everything was solid there's a big hole in the wall," he said. "I was just so used to seeing and talking to Kobe, it kills you, it's just a terrible event."2 RelatedAsked what he would remember most
[ad_1] NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- Christina Mauser poured her heart and soul into coaching and teaching physical education at the school where young Gianna and her basketball star father Kobe Bryant were an integral part of the community.The mother of three worked at the campus in Newport Beach for more than a decade and helped lead its eighth-grade basketball team to its first championship, Harbor Day School said in a
[ad_1] 9:22 PM ETNick DePaulaESPN In the wake of Kobe Bryant's tragic passing, Nike has decided to pull all Kobe-related items from its Nike.com webstore, company sources have confirmed to ESPN. For now, searches for his products provide one result -- a purple and yellow Nike gift card bearing the Los Angeles Lakers logo.The company is re-evaluating its ongoing strategy for releasing Bryant's beloved signature shoe series, and in the
[ad_1] 4:11 PM ETMechelle VoepelespnW.com CloseMechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, women's college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women's basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.HARTFORD, Conn. -- Chicago Sky guard Katie Lou Samuelson couldn't hold back her emotions Monday.Having grown up in Huntington Beach, California, when Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers' dominated in the NBA, she understood what Bryant means
[ad_1] ARDMORE, Pa. -- Most of the people didn't know the man they came to honor -- at least not really. Most of those who came to lay down flowers, No. 24 and 33 jerseys, candles, teddy bears and basketballs had never spoken to the man they came to mourn.The news of Kobe Bryant's death ricocheted around the world on Sunday night. In 41 years, Bryant identified with Italy and
