The Medical Lake girl's basketball team poses for a photo with former Los Angeles Laker's basketball star Kobe Bryant after a game in Cashmere on Jan. 11. Bryant, middle, and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, far right, were killed along with seven others Sunday in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles.
CALABASAS, CALIF. - As has been widely reported, former National Basketball Association legend Kobe Bryant, along with eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died Sunday morning in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles.
Members of the Medical Lake High School girl's basketball team were able to meet the basketball icon when they traveled to Cashmere on Jan. 11 for non-league games against the Bulldogs.
Bryant attended the games to watch Bulldog senior phenom and Bryant protégé Hailey Van Lith play.
Van Lith had trained the previous summer with Bryant at his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, Calif., according to multiple news and social media sources.
Cardinal head coach Kyle Lundberg said he overheard that Bryant was next door to the Cards locker room after the game and, nothing ventured nothing gained, asked if the 6-foot-6 star would be willing to pose for a picture with the Cardinal girls.
"He was more than happy to do that," Lundberg said during a post-game interview. "He shook hands with the girls and took the picture."
Lundberg and the team were able to chat with Bryant for about five minutes, and thanked him for what he was doing for girls basketball.
After meeting Bryant, Lundberg did some additional research on the basketball legend and came away even more impressed by Bryant as a father-figure, his faith, family and his mentorship to young athletes.
Bryant was a practicing Catholic who credited his faith for helping him overcome life-challenges. He and his daughter had taken communion together before the flight, a San Francisco television station reported.
"He was taken way too soon," Lundeberg said during a phone interview while driving home from burying his stepfather who had recently died after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. "When anybody that famous passes away it hits (kids) a little different. We all feel like we have a connection to famous people. Some of (Lundberg's players) had the privilege to shake (Bryant's) hand and meet him a couple of weeks ago and it really kind hit home a little more. It makes it a little more emotional."
Bryant had been in Philadelphia on Saturday to watch 76ers star LeBron James bump Bryant from his third-place spot on the NBA's all-time scoring list. James's record clicked up to 33,655 during the game, exceeding Bryant's 33,643 points he had amassed during his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant retired in 2016, and went on to become involved in or start several philanthropic endeavors include the Kobe Bryant China Fund that raises money in China earmarked for education and health programs there.
He and his wife started the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Fund with the goal of "helping young people in need, encouraging the development of physical and social skills thought sports and assisting the homeless," according to one Catholic-oriented website.
Bryant was 41 years old when he died.
He is survived by his wife, Vanessa Bryant, 37, and daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3 and Capri, 7 months.
Lundberg, and other coaches at Medical Lake High School expressed how important it was to explain to students how fleeting life can be; how quickly people we admire and care about can be taken from us.
"It goes to show you that we have to cherish every day and love our family and friends because we don't know when our time is up here," he said.
Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com.
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