By: Jhoemz Vercide |

The NBA Legend who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Sunday at aged 41 with daughter Gianna and seven others is more than just a basketball champion—he’s truly a life champion.

The sudden death of the five-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player and an Olympic gold medalist was really a shocking moment to many especially to his family and loved ones.

Little did we know about Kobe Bryant, after his two-decade stint as basketball legend in Los Angeles Lakers in National Basketball Association (NBA), he wants to be an entertainment mogul; he engaged himself to where his heart truly belongs--charity works, writing novels, producing films, and launching his own media company.

KOBE BRYANT: A WRITER/AN AUTHOR

The first book he has ever written was a basketball memoir called “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play,” which was published in November 2018.

The book entered the USA TODAY Best-Selling Books list at no. 8 and has ranked in the top 150 for eight weeks.

Paulo Coelho, an award-winning Brazilian novelist, reveals Kobe Bryant plans of writing a book together

Coelho went to his social media to mourn the passing of the Lakers legend and posted a screenshot of the brief conversation that they had last year for a possible collaboration.

KOBE BRYANT: A PRODUCER

Kobe created his own media company called ‘Granity Studios.’ It is an award-winning multimedia original content company focused on creating new ways to tell stories around sports.

His six-minute film based on a poem that he wrote and published in The Players Tribune in 2015, “Dear Basketball” was won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the 2018 Academy Awards.

The film shows top moments from Bryant’s career animated in hand-drawn images while he recites the letter about his devotion to his beloved sport.

KOBE BRYANT: A PHILANTHROPIST

Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa Bryant created ‘The Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation (KVBFF) dedicated to improving the lives of families in need, both domestically and globally.

He wanted to provide financial assistance, resources and unique programs for the communities to make a difference.

The After-School All-Stars, Aid Still Required, Cathy’s Kid Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Stand Up To Cancer, and Vijay Amritraj Foundation are among the charities and foundations supported by the NBA legend.

KOBE BRYANT: A HUSBAND

Kobe and Vanessa shared 19 years together and stood by each other through thick and thin.   

Like a normal couple, they have been undergone to dark times. In 2003, six months after Vanessa Bryant gave birth to their first child, daughter Natalia, Kobe Bryant was accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old hotel worker in Colorado, he then proclaimed alongside with his wife in a news conference about his innocence to the alleged rape.

They filed for divorce in 2011 and publicly revealed two years later but opted to stay together.

The NBA legend’s love for his wife Vanessa will be one of his most everlasting legacies. Weeks before the tragic incident, he wrote an emotional note to Vanessa to mark the anniversary of the first day they met.

Bryant even shared a throwback photo of the two of them together on Instagram, he wrote in a post shared on Instagram Nov. 27, “On this day 20 years ago I met my best friend, my Queen @vanessabryant.”

KOBE BRYANT: A FATHER

No words can really describe how a loving and dedicated father to his four daughters. Being a father had long ago become the most important thing in Kobe’s life, even more than earning international fame.

In an interview with Alex Rodriguez for Barstool Sports podcast The Corp with A-Rod and Big Cat, Bryant said that he did miss a school play of one of his daughters because he was just sitting in traffic.

He started thinking a way to spend more time family and that is by looking into helicopters to be able to get down and back in 15 minutes and not to compromise all the available moments he could spend with his family.

Kobe said in an interview with Alex Rodriguez that it’s the most convenient way on how he could juggle his responsibilities from being a star and father to his kids.

He loves to fetch his children just like another mother or father in an Orange County elementary school; for Kobe, he really enjoyed the fatherhood.

The death of Gianna, the second daughter of Kobe, adds another layer of tragedy, as she was starting to establish herself as an aspiring basketball player. Many have even said that she had the same on-court moves as his father’s. The two shared both a love for basketball and the spirit of competition. Kobe has labeled her “Mambacita” From the Mamba himself.

Kobe Bean Bryant is indeed more than just a superstar, he’s more of a genuine, sincere, and generous man he could ever be.

Rest in paradise our legend!