kobe bryant and gianna scaled Birmingham remembers Kobe Bryant — Kobe Bryant with his daughter, Gianna. Photo via MTV.

Yesterday, we lost an icon I know many of us admired and adored. Kobe Bryant will always be known as one of the greatest basketball players—and he’ll also be remembered as a mentor, philanthropist, and father. Sometimes words just can’t explain your condolences and we are all left speechless.

I’m sure we are all aware of the details so I’ll refrain from explaining yesterday’s tragic event. Most of us have never known Kobe Bryant on a personal level. However, knowing that people around the country have so much emotion for someone they never knew, brings us together more than ever.

1. Mayor Randall Woodfin showed his condolences on Instagram.

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A post shared by Mayor Randall Woodfin (@woodfinforbham)

The loss may be hitting us so hard because Kobe represented perseverance and was an inspiration for multiple generations.

2. Kobe impacted Alabama football, too.

Kobe even left an impact on Alabama football when he was invited to be the speaker at the Tide’s preseason camp.

https://vimeo.com/285562124

This is what Nick Saban had to say about Kobe.

Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/k7505l2ot0
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) January 26, 2020

3. Birmingham yoga teacher Kerry Wingo remembers Kobe Bryant.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B70-BTchVoG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Anybody who’s ever taken a class with well-known yoga teacher Kerry Wingo, otherwise known as Kewal Nam, may be surprised to learn she was a college basketball player at Rhodes College in Memphis. While she was a student there, Kobe came to visit and made the team’s year.

We at Bham Now are keeping the Bryant family in our thoughts. We also want to send our deepest condolences to John Altobelli, his daughter Alyssa, his wife Keri, Christina Mauser, Ara Zobayan, Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton who were also in the helicopter. 💔