by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
January 27, 2025
Players remember Kobe’s contributions to the sport.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was a very strong proponent of professional women’s basketball, and the popularity of the WNBA and the recent launch of the Unrivaled League could be attributed to Kobe’s interest in seeing women’s basketball be elevated. Some players who benefitted spoke of his dedication and interest in seeing them thrive.
As the world remembers the fifth anniversary of his death, The Athletic discussed with several women the impact that the NBA Hall of Famer has had in advancing the sport while he was alive. Reportedly, one of the last times he was seen was in December 2019 at Staple Center. He attended a Lakers game against the Dallas Mavericks. While sitting courtside, he had on an orange WNBA hoodie while sitting with his basketball-playing daughter, Gianna, who died with him in the helicopter crash that took their lives along with seven others on Jan. 26, 2020.
Seattle Storm superstar Skylar Diggins-Smith feels that if he were alive today, he would be proud of the WNBA’s advancement.
“I think him seeing where it is right now, he’d be so proud,” Skylar Diggins-Smith said. “He was always a supporter of our league and the people in our league. And really making sure that he stood up as an advocate when it came to resources and came to supporting. … He made sure he positioned himself to hold space for all of us and our sport. … His fingerprints are all over our game today.”
Napheesa Collier, who co-founded Unrivaled, also gave her thoughts on the Laker legend. Her husband, Alex Bazzell, a basketball trainer, worked with girls at Kobe’s Mamba Academy.
“The way that he just put himself aside and really was doing what was best for the girls,” Collier said. “He’s one of the best players ever to play the game, but he relied on his coaches and on the trainers and was really there just as a dad supporting his daughter.”
“I aspire to be like Kobe,” Collier said.
Jewell Loyd, who plays for Mist BC in the Unrivaled League, also shared her thoughts about Kobe.
“Kobe’s legacy is way more than basketball,” Loyd said. “It’s a lifestyle. He impacted the minds of so many. The hearts of so many. He knew that basketball could be a vessel, but the knowledge he had could be passed down forever.”
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