TYLER, Texas — As the world continues stunned reactions to the tragic passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, basketball players in East Texas are finding it hard to acknowledge the passing of their childhood hero.
"Just stunned. I’m still stunned," said Alvin Wright, a coach with the East Texas Elite Girls AAU. "One of the greatest basketball players in my generation is gone."
Bryant is regarded as one of the greatest Lakers players ever to grace the court. However, his legacy expands far beyond the NBA, particularly his mission to grow women's basketball.
“The things he was doing with girls basketball was going to lift a lot of teenage girls and give them the hope and the dream of going to the WNBA,” Wright said.
Letourneau University Athletic Director Terri Deike says his inspiration to drive girls to play in the WNBA was an important voice for a sports whose popularity peaks at the college level.
“With his stature, with his popularity, with everything he had been able to accomplish, for him to now somewhat be a voice for women's basketball for the WNBA," Deike said. “Anytime there's someone that is that popular, that hangs their hat on something and approves of it, the entire world can change. And so I think it just would have opened up doors for women basketball and women and all athletic endeavors.”
Byrant's love for women's basketball did not go unnoticed, even in East Texas, a world away from the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles.
“I just remember a lot of players, WNBA players, coaches, appreciating what he was doing," Kilgore College women's basketball Coach Addie Lees said. "And he used his platform. And he wasn't afraid to use it."
Bryant’s impact was felt by coaches and athletes in many ways. His Mamba Mentality is referenced by many as an example of an unstoppable work ethic.
"Even with these younger guys that we're coaching, we want to teach them how to play the right way, how to play hard, how to go full speed. And that's what Kobe did,” Little Dribblers Coach Blake Luce said.
Lees says his work ethic is something she tries to pass on to her players to ensure their success.
“He centered his influence on the Mamba Mentality," Lees said. "And so a lot of these young athletes grew up watching that, adoring it, trying to mimic that."
Simply put, his fans will forever remember a competitor who never thought losing to be an option.
“Kobe was one of the hardest working guys in the NBA. He did not settle for defeat," Wright said. "He was passionate. He had a drive that only probably Michael Jordan had. Kobe will always go down as one of the greatest basketball players in our generation."