By John Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Kobe Bryant perished in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning and left a void in basketball all around the world, accurately described to the point by Andreas Zagklis. The FIBA secretary general posted on Instagram about the sudden death of the 2019 FIBA World Cup Global Ambassador.
“You were a sun in the Basketball universe, shining on and off the court. An ambassador of our values,” wrote Zagklis, “You loved the 8 and 24 Lakers jersey as well as the USA 10 jersey.”
“Just 41, you had already started a second career challenging the success of the first one,” he added, “You are already sorely missed. Condolences to the Bryant family for the passing of Kobe and Gianna. RIP.”
Bryant represented USA in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games capturing gold at both Beijing and London. Also helped for the gold medal run in the 2007 FIBA Americas. He averaged 14.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game through the three international tournaments.