Photo courtesy of Christian Peterson, Getty Images
Eben Baring-Gould | Teddy Eswara
Co Editor-in-Chief | Arts Section Editor
Kobe Bryant has been an icon throughout the world, specifically in the NBA, but after such events as the 2010 NBA finals, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have become enemies to your average Celtics fan. Being the two top teams in the NBA for so long, the Celtics-Lakers rivalry can be dated back to when Bill Russell faced off against Wilt Chamberlain. Kobe eventually fell into the middle of this rivalry, as for some time he was one of the most hated NBA players among the Celtics community. However, on Sunday the 26th of January, 2020, the future Hall of Famer, his daughter Gianna Bryant, and seven other passengers were killed in a helicopter crash in California. Despite the rivalry between the two teams, Kobe’s death has deeply affected the entire NBA community, but more specifically the Celtics community, who had such an interesting relationship with him. To see how Kobe’s career has impacted Celtics fans, we went around and spoke with a few self-proclaimed “die-hard Celtics fans”.
Brady Merlino, a sophomore here at South, had this to say: “I always respected Kobe. He was kind of the reason that I started playing basketball… you know, watching his highlights on Youtube. When he played he made you feel some type of way—he made you feel excited. He made you want to play basketball and shoot fadeaways. He’s one of those players who it was hard to not love to watch play.”
When we asked him what he thought about the rivalry between the Celtics and the Lakers, Merlino said, “As a Celtics fan, when it comes down to it, whether it’s Celtics versus Lakers, I’m taking the Celtics. But I don’t think that a lot of people in Boston really do have that hatred for Kobe. I feel like that’s kind of the older generation’s thing. Our generation didn’t really grow up watching it when the rivalry was really tense”.
Obviously, there was a heated rivalry at some point, but in recent years the competition between the Celtics and Lakers has faded away. The wake of his death has definitely proven to reveal Celtics fans’ true emotions.
To get an idea of how Celtics fans have taken the news we talked to Yoav Rabbi, a freshman at South: “His death really hurt the Celtics organization, Celtics fans, and everybody who has been a fan.”
In the end, despite the rivalry between the two teams, Kobe Bryant was and forever will be one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He left an everlasting impact on the NBA and everyone around him as a player, father, friend, and idol. Whether you’re a Celtics fan, NBA fan, or not a fan at all, Kobe Bryant is someone who you can admit was truly bigger than basketball.
