On January 26, 2020, the world came to a halt. Little did we all know then, the world was about to drastically change. Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were tragically killed in a helicopter crash one year ago today. Along with them, there were seven other people who also passed away from the crash. To this day, this is still heartbreaking for many. Gianna had potential to be one of the greatest WNBA stars of all time, even though she was only 13. She had already proven herself as one of the better basketball players on her team and the league she played in. As for her father Kobe, he is by far the greatest Laker to ever play. Not only that, he accomplished so much off the court as well.

Girl dad

Kobe said it himself, he was a girl dad. He loved being a girl dad. He would do anything for his family. Kobe fully embraced the challenge of raising three daughters and he succeeded in that. After his death, the term girl dad really took off. Many fathers who themselves were girl dad’s fully embraced the mamba mentality in raising their daughters. Not only on the court did Kobe’s mentality present a challenge to others, but it was also off the court as well. Kobe was the MVP of girl dad’s.

Off the court accomplishments

We all know what he accomplished on the court. However, he had great accomplishments off the court as well. Obviously, any father in the NBA would say that his biggest accomplishment off the court is his family. That is true about Kobe but there’s even more. Kobe won an Academy award for best short animated film. The film was called “Dear Basketball” and it was about a poem he wrote when he officially announced his retirement from the NBA. It’s not often that athletes win a grammy, so it was a special moment to see Kobe win this award.

Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation

Kobe cared about everyone and it showed with this foundation. Not only did he care, but he wanted the best for everyone as well. This foundation was started back in 2011. The main goal was to help out the homeless youth in Los Angeles to simply, “kick butt.” After Kobe’s death, one of Bryant’s teammates, Shaq and as well as the website Stubhub both donated proceeds to the foundation in honor of both Kobe and Gianna. This foundation has raised millions of dollars to help out the homeless youth of LA.

Other charitable acts

Kobe donated books to Lebron James’ I promise school, had a working relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and donated money to schools to help out the basketball programs. There’s even more you can say about what Kobe did off the court. Remembering a legend gone too soon Kobe Bryant still doesn’t feel right to say. His second chapter in life was only getting started.

Final thoughts

We miss you Kobe. The world hasn’t been the same since the day Kobe and Gianna and the other victims tragically passed from that helicopter crash. Remembering a legend gone too soon Kobe Bryant, we all hope heaven is treating you, Gianna and the other victims perfectly.

-Matt Burnett (@mattthew_jordan on Twitter)