Illuminati-R-Us

Helicopter crash kills famed USA basketball all time star.

https://www.quora.com/Did-the-Illuminat ... obe-Bryant

That didn't take long.

Shit, where's the leak?

I'd never heard of him, but its all BBC radio Scotland are talking about today.

BBC News ran a wee segment about him, using footage of a different, black, basketball player. Yes, even though they have their names on their backs. Eh, close enough for middle England.

I've heard of him but I don't follow that sort of sportsball.

But it wasn't us, right? RIGHT???

I became a Lakers fan back in the mid-80s, during what was called the "showtime" era. I remember being impressed with their speed, and especially Magic Johnson's ball handling. When Kobe Bryant came along, I was excited and hopeful. It took him a few years, but he did rise to his high expectations. He was driven not just to succeed but to dominate, which served him well on the basketball court and in business. The Lakers would go on to win 5 more championships with him.

All too often, though, such a will and attitude is not suited for personal relationships, and Kobe was not an exception. Famously, he clashed with his equally dominant teammate, big man Shaquile O'Neal. The relationship became so acrimonious, the Lakers opted to trade O'Neal to keep Bryant happy. He often set unreasonable expectations from his teammates. It's impossible to say whether this ever made the team better or not. If it did, it may have been at the expense of the well-being of some of his teammates. Players like Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum played their best years with Kobe, but would battle demons the rest of their careers and beyond (too be fair, Bynum also dealt with serious knee injuries as well), and Dwight Howard all but stopped playing under Kobe's withering demands. Now, in his second stent with the Lakers and alongside the more easy-going LeBron James, he is exceeding expectations.

Kobe's marriage went through several cycles of good and bad - the most notable low marked by the alleged rape of a young female fan in 2003. Despite evidence, he was acquitted in the criminal case, and settled the civil case out of court, and he maintained that the sex was consensual for the rest of his life. His wife, Vanessa, filed for divorce in 2011. However, they reconciled and were still married at the time of Kobe's death.

Kobe Bryant was a tremendous athlete and basketball player. One of the best to have played the game, in fact. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and much will be written and said about his achievements. I'm sure that he's also provided a great deal to the community in some way or another, through philanthropy and volunteering. On the other hand, he probably should have spent time in prison. I'm afraid he was, in the end, a disappointing hero.

Thanks for that knowledgeable and honest account, which fleshes out a man who was just a name in the news to me. The circumstances of his death are certainly tragic, especially as his daughter died with him (and others, of course). I don’t get the level of coverage it’s receiving over here, as basketball is very much a fringe sport in these parts, but that doesn’t mean it’s not sad news.

Lianachan wrote:... that doesn’t mean it’s not sad news.

Yes. Random people should stop blaming the Illuminati for stuff

Right, SPECIFIC people should blame the illuminati for stuff.

Am I a random person, or a specific person?

Мастер wrote:Am I a random person, or a specific person?

We must first establish that you are, in fact, a person. Only then can we decide which kind.

Good point, he used to masquerade as a shoe. Although it was a very specific shoe.

We do know he is well heeled.