“Its hard to go through Kobe Bryant memories again”: Lakers owner Jeanie Buss opens up on Kobe’s tragic death following his induction into the Hall of Fame

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss is still reeling from the untimely death of Kobe Bryant. Buss and the superstar shared a beautiful bond over the years.

The date 26th July 2020 is regarded as one of the darkest days in NBA history. The world lost one of the biggest sporting legends, Kobe Bryant, to a tragic helicopter crash in California.

The crash not only resulted in the death of Kobe but also his 13-year old daughter Gianna. None of the 9 passengers on board survived the crash.

Recently Lakers owner Jeanie Buss opened up how rough her last 18-months have been.

In December 2019, Buss’ mother, JoAnn, died at 86. Two weeks later, on New Year’s Day, David Stern the former N.B.A. commissioner and one of her mentors died after several weeks in a coma. During the last week of January 2020, Kobe Bryant and his 13-year old daughter Gianna passed away in a tragic helicopter crash.

Also read: “Kobe Bryant achieved more in 2 years than Magic Johnson did in his entire career”: Comparing an shocking statistic between the two Laker legends

Buss recently revealed that how she will never be able to get over Kobe’s untimely death. The Black Mamba’s iconic performance anniversaries such as the 81-point game, the 60-point farewell game, and his championships constantly remind us about his unfortunate absence.

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss speaks about the lifetime void that the untimely death of Kobe Bryant has left

Buss and Kobe go way back in 1996 when the Lakers had acquired the 18-year old Kobe from the Charlotte Hornets. The two would often have lunch together, during which they even spoke about their affinity with Italy, where Kobe spent a large part of his childhood in.

Following his induction in the 2021 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Buss spoke about how the superstar’s death still affects her.

“It’s almost like having to put him away again,” she said, her voice cracking. He’s going into the Hall, and it’s like we’re leaving him there. It’s hard. It’s hard to go through this again.”

Buss even spoke about a lunch between her, Kobe, and his daughter Gianna that they had,

“Once, he asked her out to lunch and brought Gianna. He said he wanted his daughter to learn from a powerful female sports executive.”

Also read: “God, Air Jordan and Kobe Bryant in that order”: When Shannon Sharpe had the Lakers legend top-2 behind Michael Jordan in his all-time rankings

Kobe’s tragic death will always remain one of the sporting world’s biggest losses. The LA Lakers paid one of the biggest homages to the late Lakers legend by winning the 2019-20 NBA championship.