You spent so many years in Los Angeles covering Kobe Bryant.

We're thinking about our memories of him.

And you had mentioned to me when we were doing coverage of Kobe's death on SportsCenter a year ago today.

And I just mentioned a key you had mentioned.

There is no athlete that is inextricably linked with their city like Kobe is with Los Angeles.

You imparted that on the audience and myself on that day.

I just wonder, a year later what your thoughts are.

Um, yeah, and it's absolutely true, Zubin, because of everything that Kobe Waas and how complex of a city that Los Angeles is most people outside of L.

A.

When you think the Lakers and their fans, they think of, you know Jack Nicholson in the Millionaire's Row courtside.

But there's also the people up top.

You know, there's also the people from East L.

A or from South L.

A.

And he spoke to all of those people in a way that the connection was deeper than any other athlete.

I mean, postgame.

Oftentimes he's doing, um, interviews in Spanish, right?

So he had this effect on the city deeper than any other athlete did.

And that's also because of his work ethic, right, like no one worked the way Kobe did.

I mean, everyone loves shock.

A lot of people thought shock didn't work hard enough when he was with the Lakers.

That's why something like the fans, especially those uh, guys who grows up in the very top of the arena didn't connect to him.

They waited for Kobe, and that connection was so deep, well beyond his playing days.

And that's why you know what I was when we were, um, doing that live coverage year ago?

I was trying to, you know, bring that local perspective of Los Angeles to everyone.

Watching this national well international story is that this is a gut punch to the city of Los Angeles and all the people who who root for the Lakers there because of that connection that he had.

And you know, the more I think about it, zoo.

But it's just it's even sadder is just such a tragic story all around with Kobe, his daughter and the other individuals that were on that helicopter that day is just a gut punch, like the only way I can describe how devastating that.

Waas.

What do you remember about Michael?

Kobe's 81 point showing, uh, in the game that he scored 81 points?

You know, key.

I was there for that game.

And, you know, that was during a stretch where Kobe was He was scoring a lot because, quite frankly, the team needed to and But this one had a different build up to it, right?

It was like, you know, he was he was scoring, but he wasn't, like, going stupid, stupid, and all of a sudden just started building.

I remember at halftime I went to visit some friends and then so, like, as in the third quarter was starting and I was kind of watching the game.

I kinda wasn't watching and I looked up and I just see the points you started, like, creep up, creep up Creepy.

I was like, Oh, this dude is about to do something, saying it's like I gotta go.

So then I go watch it and then, like, literally every time down the floor, you were just anticipating not him scoring key, but from where he was going to score, is going to be a three is gonna be in the corner, is going to be at the rim like it was just amazing spectacle to watch and just continue to just keep growing.

And the crowd is getting louder.

Every time he scored, he looked at Toronto.

They like We have nothing to stop this man from scoring.

It was literally one of the more remarkable athletic things I've ever witnessed in my life.

You know, Mike, this has been a tough year for a lot of people, a lot of lives that have been lost.

And my thing is with Kobe, I rather celebrate his life for the legacy that he's left on the game and that mamba mentality.

Is there a story that you heard about Kobe that you probably didn't already know that were kind of left you chills or it changed your mind, set about who he was or what kind of impact he left on the game?

Well, let's be fair, like when you tell the story of someone's life, especially when they when they die tragically and unexpectedly, we always want to say you know the great things about them.

But at times Kobe was a jerk.

There's no question about that.

He was a jerk at times.

He did some things that you know as he evolved.

He didn't quill feel quite good about clearly, and that's what we all do.

We all evolve in human beings and look back on our past, but we should have done this.

Should have done that.

But the impact that he had on certain people?

Um J it is kind of hard to describe and and some of the players on that team I'll take sausage religion, for example, Right?

Sasha was a punching bag for Kobe Bryant for a couple of years.

A couple of you, he just went relentless and Sasha, and to the point where Sasha was on the verge of tears.

Sometimes in practice after games like that was Kobe's way of trying to get him to a level that Kobe saw of himself that Sasha didn't see and then years later, years later, I remember talking to Sasha about when he's going to another team.

Another thing, he said.

The best thing that ever happened to me was coming to play for the Lakers.

I'm like everybody wants player like he's like no, Kobe beat the shit out of me for a while.

That right there is what defined Kobe in terms of how he wanted other people to see themselves.

And if they just put in the work, they could achieve greatness that they didn't see for themselves.

And Sasha is a good example of that, like he would not have been the player he was and how long his career was, He said it would not have lasted as long if not for Kobe Bryant, that that's an amazing perspective.

Sasha nearly shedding tears.

There were many tear shed a year ago today, and we should just mention, you know, Michael does a great job on SportsCenter.

He's also all over our UFC coverage, and UFC is all about toughness and grit.

And I think those might be too amazing words to remember the legacy of Kobe Bryant.

Toughness and grit.