A crash robs the lives of innocent people. Within minutes, news outlets reported the incident. They spread what little information they had, and it’s only when people saw the tragedy streaming down their Twitter feed that they believe it wasn’t a hoax, but real life. 

Sunday Jan. 26, Lakers player Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash. Many people who looked up to him were devastated. A few students expressed how they felt about his passing.

“It was depressing, because his daughter was up there in the helicopter with him,” senior Rashaud Haynes said. “So you know we don’t wanna hear that tragic death [about] anybody even Kobe, a legend. His legacy is still gonna stay for years.”

The news came as a shock to all who followed Kobe. Many were in disbelief and rendered the information as “fake news.”

“I was like wait that’s not true, it just didn’t really register,” junior Sani Leauanae said. “And then I was reading about it, and I was looking it up online. It had not been confirmed yet. There were just all these skeptics.”

Athletes who look up to the lost player said his message is what has kept their work ethic so strong throughout their athletic careers so far.

“I’ve been following him and following his progress, the way he trains and the way he just is as an athlete and as a person. It translates through all sports and can be related to any sport that you play,” Leauanae said. “Just his drive and motivation and his love for the sport can be inspiration for anything that I went through and that I played in my sports.”

Like his life, Kobe’s death teaches a lesson to live every day to the fullest.

“You can look at it from an athletic standpoint. Don’t show up to practice and only give half speed,” Coach David Seaborn said. “You wanna live everyday like it’s your last whether it’s practice, no matter what that is.”