LEGACY

achilles and finally he walked away. He had gotten as much out of his body as he could after the season, and he really sort of moved on then into his daughter's athleticism, into their athletic endeavors. And his second daughter, um Gianna, who was thirteen, was interested in basketball. She wanted to play in the w n b A, she wanted to go to Yukon, and Kobe found himself pulled back into basketball and really enjoying it again through her eyes.

There will be people who will remember an allegation of a sexual assault and how that was dealt with. It is an unquestionably ugly part of his legacy. Um It's one that is some point receded into the background, but it does still exist. Kurt Alexander, the host of the nationally syndicated radio show Big Boys Neighborhood, says he was a personal friend of Bryant's and knew him when he first arrived in l A. I asked him what he thought Bryant's legacy could be. Man, I would have to

say the super human being legacy. You know, it's not a legacy of basketball. You know, there's a lot of basketball fans, but I think that people love Kobe as Kobe Bryant. There's there's a there's an umbrella, there's the top, and then everything else falls into There's Kobe Bryant, and then there's basketball player father. There's so many things that fall under that. So I think the legacy is just

Kobe Bryant. You can't define Kobe Bryant by basketball. I've known Kobe years and I don't say, oh, you know when I enter or whatever. I don't I don't know how many right now? What is he five rings? Like? And that's my guests just like calculating. But I never equated Kobe to the jewelry on his finger, the trophies at the Staples Center, it was just Kobe Bryant. Everything else fell under that. So I think that when we think of legacy, hold Kobe Bryant as a legacy, not

as a legendary basketball player. Sports journalist Larry Brown owns the website Larry brown sports dot com and covered the crash that morning. He says Bryant's legacy is more sports centric. I mean, absolutely beloved in Los Angeles, and there are so many great Lakers, Magic Johnson and Kareema, Jerry West. I mean, you look up at the rafters at Staples and see all the jerseys up there. There's so many

great Lakers, um shack. You know. It's but it's really hard to argue against Kobe as the greatest, for the length of time he spent with the team, for everything he accomplished with the team. It's it's hard to argue against that. It's a great legacy. I think another part of his legacy is how beloved he was, not just by basketball fans, but multicultural appeal. You know, one of the things about Kobe was not only did he grow up speaking Italian, but he knew Spanish and he knew

other languages, and so he could communicate. He knew that Laker fans were a very diverse fan base. Um, lots of Persian Laker fans, lots of Asian ones, Aremenian Laker fans, and he he tried to appeal to all of them, and he appealed to all of them. And so I think Kobe's appeal was transcended culture because of his character, his determination and his will to win. It just crosses all cultures and attracts people. And that's part of his legacy.

And then you know, really after his retirement, It wasn't until after his death and I started to hear all these stories people were telling about how much Kobe gave back to the game of basketball that I really started to see his legacy. It wasn't just about what he accomplished on the court, but so much of his legacy was about what he did after he had retired. All these players were coming out and talking about how Kobe would would break down game footage for them and would

try and work in one on one sessions with them. Um, he was trying to give back everything that he had learned earned over the course of his career to the current players so that they could keep it going forward so that the game of basketball would not lose all that knowledge, uh, and that it would continue to be passed down. And that's such a big part of his legacy, was what he gave back to the game because he

recognized how much it gave to him. And Uh, I think that message was conveyed so clearly that I hadn't realized it prior to his death, but afterwards, when all these players were talking about what he had done for them, I really started to see it. And and you know, Kobe didn't publicize that, UM, and I respect him more for not publicizing that that we found out later through these people, And I think that's part of his legacy.

It's a really nice part of his legacy. Kevin Beggs is the chairman of lions Gate Television and a board member of My Friend's Place, a nonprofit dedicated to helping young people experiencing homelessness. We've talked about Brian's involvement with the organization in previous episodes. Begs says two of the best moments at My Friends Place finding out Bryant wanted to get involved and the time he provided enough funding to renovate the facility in Hollywood Begs says Bryant was

one of a kind. I mean, I think his legacy on the court extends to his legacy and all he does, whether it was in film and television, or philanthropy or or business. You know, a relentless commitment to excellence. Right.

Nobody can come close to the work ethic. We've seen the workouts and the way UH he prepared and the singular focus on winning and UH and on teamwork, and I you know, these are lessons that I think everyone can learn from in every aspect of their life, whether they're a professional superstar playing you know at the A's the greatest arena and level of professional basketball, or anything else. But you know, hard, hard work and UH and commitment

to excellence will pay off. And I think that's speaks to us as citizens of l A, as professionals in our work lives and in our family, UM, in philanthropic endeavors. So to me, that's you know, his his consistency of message. It goes across everything he does and everything he did. And I think that's that's the legacy I'm going to focus on. And I think that's one that we can all take with us despite him not being with us anymore.

It's the Ellen Kay Q and a Hellen Coast one of three point five, and we ask the question first color with the right answer. Ellen kay is a popular radio host and well known voiceover artist in Los Angeles. He's been the announcer for the Academy Awards, the Grammys, and the Emmy's, and she was also the announcer for Bryant's memorial at Staple Center. Throughout the years, she remembers seeing Bryant in the hallways of her radio station. Kobe has been coming in here to my heart since before

we were iHeart. So when he first got here, you know Vic the Brick. Vic befriended Kobe right away and they used to sit on the beach together. Maybe Vick has told you the story and talk about life, and so Vic brought him by the Rick Dys Show several times. So there's early Kobe right. Then Kobe ends up marrying Vanessa, who was a really good friend of Patti Rodriguez, who was on our show, and so there was more Kobe and that connection, and then you know, Kobe was coming

into my heart for interviews. I mean up until I would say a month before he he passed. There was just always a connection. He loved to come in and do radio, I know, with you know a M five SEV L A sports and he was just always kind of like a regular I would say, so yeah, yeah, I knew Kobe through the years and we always would take My son is nineteen now, but one of the things that that we made a point of doing as he was growing up was taking him to see the

greats when they played. We took him to see David Beckham bendit when he was at the Galaxy. Of of course he saw Shack play, Luke Robotie, you know, any sports great We're right there. We just wanted him to see, like, look at this. So Kobe was one of our one of our favorites to go and watch. So when I asked what she thought Bryant's legacy might be, Wow, I think it is. You know, I love your family, love your city, do what you love with all of your heart.

I think his legacy is is one of excellence. Yeah. I think he's a reminder that he really loved every minute of his life. I think he's a lesson in

living coming up. The Mayor of Los Angeles says Briant's legacy is about grit and love, as the death and life of Kobe Bryant continues, m M. Los Angeles County Sheriff alex Via Nueva says he remembers being a deputy when he became a big fan of Bryant's and when asked about Brian's legacy, I think twofold his legacy probably one of the fiercest competitors professional sports has ever seen. And uh uh, father figure, someone was really made that switch,

you know, from professional career to his family life. And he gave everything for his family and he left nothing, nothing on the in the tank at all and everything he did. Some have felt Bryan's legacy is rooted in basketball, while others believe Bryant's legacy comes from being a personal role model. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti I think there's two legacies that Kobe leaves behind. One is of grit, you know, the grit and greatness that he showed um that you just if you want to be great, you

gotta work at it. It doesn't come easy. It doesn't matter if you're talented. Talent A lot of people are talented in this town. A lot of people are talented in this world, but you gotta want it, you gotta fight for it. And then I think the second, though he didn't express it as such, was love. You know. I think the way he saw him as a family man, the way you know, he and Vanessa so so incredibly close, and the love of a father for a daughter, which I think for all of us that were fathers, which

just blew us away. I mean he he himself said that he was so glad his career ended so that he could spend this time watching his girls grow up. And that is the legacy that you leave behind what you did and who you love of And what he did was all about l a greatness, and what he showed was all about l a love. The horrific crash that killed Bryant, his daughter, and seven others would cause a chain reaction of events that has led or could

possibly lead to change in TSB. Board member Jennifer Hammondy was the head of the go team that arrived at the crash site. She spoke to the media and also pointed out related safety recommendations. The f a A refused to act upon recommendations that have been issued in the past, that the f a A A has failed to act on I want to talk talk about. I was asked about Terrain Awareness and Warning System or TAUS, which provides terrain information to the pilot. I was asked whether that was

on this helicopter. We have verified it was not. In two thousand four, the NTSB investigated a crash involving inn s SEV S A in Galveston, Texas, which killed ten people. We issued a recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration that stated require all existing and new US registered turbine powered rotorcraft certificated for six or more passenger seats to be equipped with the terrain Awareness and Warning System. They did

not implement the recommendation. We closed the recommendation as unacceptable. Little did Homindy know at the time that lawmakers were paying attention. California lawmakers are pushing for the Kobe and Gianna Bryant Helicopter Safety Act. It would require all helicopters with six or more passengers to have to rain awareness equipment.

Senator Diane Feinstein and Representative Brad Sherman reintroduced this bill just one day, but the legislation mirror is exactly the recommendations Homini spoke of in her media briefing at the scene of the crash. Bryant's wife, Vanessa would weigh in, saying she strongly urges the United States Congress passive federal law that would improve the safety of helicopters operating in

this country. She believes there is a chance that Kobe and Gianna would still be alive today if their helicopter had been equipped with the safety equipment required by this pending federal legislation. Another bit of legislation a little closer to home, was based on actions of some of the deputies who were among the first responders at the scene of the crash. Sources tell k cal Mine Tonight Ellie Chemist Sheriff's deputies who responded to the crash site are

accused of taking graphic photos and then sharing them. Were told those photos of the scene and victims remains were shared with other officials who had not. The incident was enough to prompt a lawsuit from Brian's widow for emotional distress.

Ellie County Sheriff Alex Viennueva says he was so disgusted by the actions of the deputies he co sponsored legislation which would make it a crime for public safety personnel to take or share non official pictures of a crash site or disaster scene, especially those of a graphic nature. Beyond the legal legacies Briant's death leaves behind, there are also charities that continue to thrive because of Brian's generosity.

To date, Briant, along with his wife, donated money or volunteered their time to at least ten nonprofit organizations, including Stand Up to Cancer, Make a Wish, United Way in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Bryant's creative legacy includes a series of children's books and other media projects, not the least of which is Dear Basketball, the animated short film based on a published letter, a film that would also win an oscar and propel Bryant

into another league. Altogether Free because that's what you do when someone makes you feel as alive as you've made me feel. You gave a Sushio, Boys, Lay Dream, and I Always Love Before. When exploring Bryant's legacy, there were many views from people of varying background, but there seemed to be a common theme among them. Perhaps Mike Asner, owner of the website Kobe mural dot Com sums it up best. His legacy to me is twofold at a

very high level. It's obviously him as a champion and what he did for the city and for Lakers fans across the world, and as a die hard Laker fan. I'm grateful for that forever. But his legacy, more so, I think today than ever, is his work ethic and his mentality. And the thing that has stuck with me during this entire process, just talking to fans and artists, is it doesn't matter what you do, who you are,

doesn't matter. You can imply what this man did in his life, the way he worked, how early he got up, how he pushed through during those days when you didn't want to work as hard. That applies to everybody, every ethnicity, every background. So for me personally, that's the thing I'll always stick out for me is as his true legacy, or as Bryant once said, the most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great at whatever they want to do. I love you always, Kobe.

The Death and Life of Kobe Bryant is produced by Steve Gregory and Jacob Gonzalez. And is a production of k FI news at I Heeart Media, Los Angeles, the iHeart podcast Network. A p insis Lolations, consistance in Sudan to insistantation, instant instantlution and insist in st