2020 -- H 7321

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF KOBE BRYANT

     Introduced By: Representatives Mattiello, Shekarchi, Ruggiero, Marszalkowski, and
Noret

     Date Introduced: January 28, 2020

     Referred To: House read and passed

     WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest professional basketball players of all time,

a talented artist, community leader, entrepreneur, and loving family man tragically passed away

in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday, January 27, 2020. Nine people perished in the

crash, including Mr. Bryant’s daughter, Gianna; and

     WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, the son of former NBA player

Joe Bryant. He was a phenom basketball player at Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania,

and was widely regarded as being the best high school basketball player in the country. He

bypassed college and declared for the NBA Draft, where he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets

and was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he would embark on a storied

twenty-year career in the NBA; and

     WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant entered the NBA at the tender age of eighteen and quickly

made an impact on the game. He was named an NBA All-Star in his second season, won the 1997

Slam Dunk Contest, and exhibited the kind of world-class athleticism exhibited by a rarified few

in NBA history. What made him even more intimidating was the fact that he combined great

basketball skills with his incredible athleticism. He was an outstanding shooter and free throw

shooter, a superb defender and an excellent passer; and

     WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant played his entire twenty-year career with the Los Angeles

Lakers. He scored the fourth most points in NBA history, the most points in Lakers history and

led the Lakers to five NBA Championship Titles. Kobe was the NBA MVP in 2008, the NBA

Finals MVP in 2009 and 2010, played in 18 All-star games, was the MVP of four All-Star games,

was an eleven-time 1st Team All-NBA selection, a nine time NBA Defensive First team selection,

and was a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist in 2008 and 2012; and

     WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant was simply unstoppable at times on the court, and no-one

defender could contain him. His 81 point game in 2006 is the second highest in NBA history

behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 point game in 1962. He was the first player in NBA history

to score 30,000 or more career points and compile 6,000 or more career assists, and he is one of

only four players in NBA history to compile 25,000 or more career points, 6,000 or more career

rebounds, and 6,000 or more career assists; and

     WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant’s life outside of basketball had the potential to be as impactful

as was his professional playing career. He was a talented entrepreneur who owned Kobe Inc., and

was a partner in a venture capital firm. He was a talented artist who won an Academy Award

Oscar for the Animated Short Film “Dear Basketball” in 2018, and also authored the book “The

Mamba Mentality: How I Play” in 2018. Kobe was also a dedicated philanthropist who supported

numerous charitable endeavors including After-School All Stars (ASAS), a charity dedicated to

providing after-school programs to children in thirteen cities, and the Call of Duty Endowment,

an organization that helps veterans transition to civilian life and careers after their military service

has ended; and

     WHEREAS, Kobe Bryant was the beloved husband of Vanessa, and the devoted father of

Natalia, Bianka, Capri, and the late Gianna Bryant. He was a shining star who burned bright both

on and off the basketball court. He will be remembered for his athletic wizardry and incredible

career achievements, and the positive impression he made on seemingly all Americans, from

neighborhood kids playing basketball in their playgrounds to the most famous people on the

globe, including President Barack Obama who said that “Kobe was a legend on the court and just

getting started in what would have been just as meaningful second act”; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby expresses its deepest condolences to the Bryant Family on the

passing of Kobe Bryant; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Vanessa Bryant and Family.

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