Khaos Kage was a sea of purple and gold at MV’s home basketball game January 31 as students paid tribute to Kobe Bryant. 

Bryant, along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven other passengers, died in a helicopter crash on January 26. The retired Los Angeles Laker left behind millions of fans who are heartbroken by the news. 

“When I heard the news my heart dropped and I got sick to my stomach. He was such an influential person to not only me but basically everyone,” said Carson Prost, ‘21.

“Kobe just seemed like a guy who would live forever. He was a superhero. People would see Kobe Bryant on TV and want to be just like him. I didn’t want it to be true, nobody did. It was such a shock to so many people who looked up to Kobe when we all got the news Sunday morning,” expressed Rory Ogle, ‘21. 

“Everybody got hit hard on Kobe’s passing because he impacted millions of people in different ways, and you understand if you were impacted by him and understood what he was for,” said Devin Edwards, ‘20. 

The loss of Kobe Bryant had a particular effect on MV’s athletes, in basketball as well as other sports. 

“He was my favorite player of all time, when I saw the news I was in complete shock. I wear number 24 because of him, so him being gone just doesn’t feel right. He was a huge part of the game and a big influence on me,” expressed Quani Rudd, ‘21. 

“Kobe was definitely special to me. He influenced the game of basketball for me and I credit him for being one of the main reasons for my love of the game. I’ll always remember watching him growing up and I’ll always remember pretending I was him in my driveway when I was little, counting down the seconds left in an imaginary game, just to pretend that I hit a game winning shot. I wanted to be just like him, because he was one of the greats.” recounted Prost. 

“I feel like the game has lost a piece of it. As a football player, anytime I wanted to see relentless effort I could just watch clips of his 100% effort, 24/7, and how he kept playing hard no matter the adversity put in front of him,” said Darrel Sanders, ‘21. 

“Kobe was one of the hardest workers in the game of basketball. He always worked to get better at his game. This grinding mindset of his inspired thousands of young athletes to be just like him, including me,” said Matthew Baker, ‘21. 

Kobe Bryant was an inspiration to many and created a legendary legacy, both on and off of the court.

“He was an icon. There was just something about Kobe that made him Kobe. Fearlessness and heart really set him apart from everyone,” said Dylan Harkins, ‘21. 

“I feel like Kobe Bryant wore the number 24 because there’s 24 hours in a day. Every single day he had the same amount of hours as everyone else has, and he executed and got better every single day,” said Edwards. 

“His work ethic and drive inspire me to be the best that I can be. He always said that you need to be your best no matter what it is. In every aspect of life I strive to be the best that I can because of Kobe,” stated Prost. 

“He was doing big things post basketball and we won’t get to witness any of it now. His legacy will always be remembered and he’ll always be more than just a basketball player to me, he’s a hero and a legend,” Prost added. 

Reflecting on the life of Kobe Bryant has caused some students to reflect upon their own lives as well. 

“I just feel like we all take life for granted and you can be making millions of dollars one day and be gone the next so we should just all take a step back and evaluate the true meaning of life,” said Jayaris Powell, ‘21.  

The Khaos Kage’s theme on Friday served as a way for students to come together and celebrate the life of Kobe. 

“Kobe was a big inspiration to basketball and he meant so much to the game. He was an outstanding role model and the least we could do to show our love and support to Kobe and his family is represent him as a theme for the Kage,” said Peyton Swan, ‘20. “I think that this gave the student body a chance to show how much Kobe meant to them and how much of an impact he had on life.”