Kobe Bryant's Neighbors Remember Him As An Ordinary Guy Who Gave Warm Greetings At The Local Store

Jan 29, 2020 by apost team

Basketball star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna passed away over the weekend in a tragic helicopter accident. 7 other people on board including the pilot did not survive the crash either. While many are remembering Bryant as a great basketball legend, his neighbors saw a different side of the athlete. To him, the All-Star champion was just like any other ordinary guy.  

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times Kobe Bryant's, Newport Beach neighbors recalled fond memories of the late star. More than 100 people from his community gathered in the park to hold a candlelight vigil in honor of Bryant. 

Steve Alford told the Times he remembers running into Kobe at a local coffee shop. “He wasn’t anybody special in his mind when he was walking in the store, and it was just really, really refreshing,” said Alford. “And I think he felt very comfortable here in Newport Coast and everybody treated him with respect.”

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Jill Yank, a neighbor to the Bryant family, recalls Kobe helping her mother carry groceries to their car and then speaking with her about their hometown of Philadelphia. “We all know him as just Kobe, a person,” Yank said to the publication. 

Yank's whose 23-year-old son is also named Kobe (he was named before the legend became a legend) remembers being at the same Starbucks as Bryant. When their name was called they both went to the pickup counter, Yank's son was so delighted by this moment he kept trying to reenact it. 

Another Newport Beach resident Josh Leith had a picture of Kobe hanging up in his house that had the word "Invincible" written across the poster. “I thought about it for a second and I thought, well, he is invincible because of what he did for us by his drive and his motivation and his inspiration and who he was as a person,” said Leith. 

All the residents remember Kobe as the family man who trick-or-treated with the children, or the local youth basketball coach. Just an ordinary guy who ordered from Starbucks. 

The vigil included candles arranged into a K and G for Kobe and Gianna, the attendees also chanted and sang "Amazing Grace." A teenager at the event wearing Kobe's jersey with the number 24 said, “Thank you, Kobe Bryant. “Thank you for existing.”

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