“The picture perfect moment, the dream you have as a kid, I never had it”: Kobe Bryant on never draining a Championship winning buzzer beater in his career

Kobe Bryant’s resume comprises 5 Championships, 2 Finals MVP trophies, and an MVP award amongst other prizes.

But there is one thing missing amidst all those: A championship sealing buzzer-beater. While there have been very few occasions where an NBA championship was decided by a buzzer-beater, Kobe desired to have one of them.

The Black Mamba was no stranger to the bright lights and talked about his regret on Ellen DeGeneres’ show. Bryant featured with Arike Ogunbowale who had drained the game-winning shot leading to Notre Dame’s championship win in the NCAA tournament.

Kobe is seen talking up the youngster for her triumph in the NCAA tournament. He praises her for hitting multiple buzzer-beaters including the championship sealer stating that it’s something he hasn’t done despite it always being a dream.

Also read: “I wanted to be the best basketball player to ever play”: When Kobe Bryant revealed the deal with himself at 13-years-old that helped him become one of the greatest ever

Bryant was vocal in his support for women’s basketball. His influence on stars like Ogunbowale and Sabrina Ionescu is a testament to this fact. Praising a women’s star while downplaying his achievements is one such Kobe moment.

Having skipped college eligibility, Kobe never stood a chance at fighting for the NCAA tournament. Clutch shots, however, were a feature across his career. Sadly, Bryant, despite his clutch genes never had the satisfaction of living his childhood dream.

How did Kobe Bryant influence women’s basketball?

Rarely has an NBA legend contributed to the general growth of women’s basketball the way Kobe did. Kobe embraced his ‘girl daddy’ persona and with it, expanded his reach to women’s basketball.

A regular at WNBA and women’s collegiate basketball, Kobe also coached his daughter’s AAU basketball team.

With his Mamba Sports Foundation, Bryant vouched to provide funding for programs that offer equal opportunities to young women in sports. Bryant put his words to action wish such steps and proved to be a real spokesman for women’s basketball.

Bryant approached death as the coach of his daughter Gianna’s AAU team. He met with a helicopter crash in January 2020 while traveling with Gianna’s team for a basketball game.

Also read: “I kept seeing RIP Kobe Bryant on my phone!”: Vanessa Bryant reveals the heartbreaking fashion in which she found out about the Lakers legend’s death in her most recent deposition

Kobe lived and died for basketball, and his contribution to the women’s game surely inspired many.