Class Lesson: Remembering Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant: Remembering a Legend

Trigger warning: Contains some disturbing content that may make some students uncomfortable.

Fans across the country are mourning the loss of NBA great Kobe Bryant, who died Sunday in a helicopter crash along with eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter. The group was headed to a basketball game of Bryant’s daughter, Gianna, and other parents and children were on the plane. Known on the court for being both fiercely competitive and spectacularly talented, Bryant was the rare athlete who managed to transcend sports. In recent years, Bryant was well into establishing his post-basketball career, as a businessman, a writer and filmmaker — a short film titled “Dear Basketball” won an Oscar in 2018 — and overseeing the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. Watch the video and answer the questions. You can turn on the “CC” (closed-captions) function and read along with the transcript here. To learn about all of the victims in Sunday’s helicopter crash, read this story here.

Kobe Bryant Discussion Questions

1. Focus question: Why did Kobe Bryant’s life resonate with so many people?
2. In the field of basketball, how accomplished was Bryant?
3. Outside of basketball, what did you learn about Bryant’s life? Note what Bryant said about his daughter Gianna and how she was determined to be a basketball star like her dad. Why do you think Bryant highlighted this story in the late-night talk show interview?
4. “Words can’t describe the pain I am feeling. I loved Kobe — he was like a little brother to me,” Michael Jordan said. What memories do you have of Bryant as a basketball player?
5. If time allows, watch a few minutes from this ESPN highlight reel. In the clip, Bryant said, “You couldn’t possibly expect this to be easy. If you want to make history, you have to do historic things.” What do you think gave Bryant his determination?
6. Media literacy: Why is it important for journalists to include major events in a person’s life, particularly a celebrity, when reporting on their death, including the 2003 sexual assault case against Bryant? (Read The Los Angeles Times story here to learn more.)

More Stories on Kobe Bryant

• Bryant’s chopper crashed in fog that grounded other aircraft
• Gianna Bryant, 13, would have carried on her father’s basketball legacy
• Kobe Bryant, daughter killed in copter crash, 7 others dead

This article was originally published by PBS NewHour Extra and can be found here.