Andrew D. BernsteinWhere to even begin? If you're a sports fan, you're hurting today. Period. Even if you haven't watched an NBA game in years. Even if you think Magic is the greatest Laker. Even if you root for the damn Celtics. That's just the effect Kobe Bryant had on sports. The dude was universal. He was a language everyone spoke. He was swagger and grit at the same time. He was unblinking determination and laid-back cool all at once. Everyone was on a first name basis with Kobe, and now, in the most heartbreaking, surreal fashion imaginable unimaginable, he's gone.
It sucks. Flat out. It hurts. Straight up. This is one that's going to sting for a long, long time. It's going to sting at All-Star Weekend and it's going to sting when the In Memoriam rolls at the Oscars. Oh yeah, did you remember that Kobe Bryant has an Oscar too? There was literally nothing he couldn't do. He was LA personified . . . just like longtime fan and friend Jack..
