I can't believe Tdarcos outlived....

[pinback]

Hey, Buck Henry died a couple weeks ago. Why didn't we hear about that?

[AArdvark]

Well...he just wasn't mister peanut.

THE
SNACK FOOD
AARDVARK

[Casual Observer]

[pinback]

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

What??

[RealNC]

What??

[pinback]

That is former NBA player Kobe Bryant you guys.

[bryanb]

It's unbelievable Kobe died within 24 hours of LeBron passing him on the all time NBA scorers list. Talk about passing the torch. Bizarre, bizarre coincidence.

Karl Malone now has a difficult decision to make ahead of him. LeBron will likely pass the Mailman on the all time scoring list within a couple seasons barring something unexpected happening such as a mail bomb, mutated weaponized coronavirus, or assassins. It's kill or be killed in today's NBA.

[RealNC]

That is former NBA player Kobe Bryant you guys.

I don't think there's a single person on this planet who doesn't know who that is.

[pinback]

Paul, you're up.

[Flack]

I would have lost money on this bet.

[Tdarcos]

That is former NBA player Kobe Bryant you guys.

That, I did know. Microsoft news sends notifications to my Windows 10 desktop. If I don't respond, it saves them. Time 2:39, "NBA legend Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash, sources say." Clicking on the notification dismisses it, and brings up the Microsoft News article.

[Tdarcos]

Damn, I can't do post editing or I'd have added this.

Not to speak ill of the (now) dead, but wasn't Kobe Bryant the guy who was accused of raping a hotel maid? And later paid her off to get rid of the accusation?

[AArdvark]

Man, that Kobe getting killed is so...maclunkey.

It's hella maclunkey

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

His daughter was there was well. That is just, just awful and makes this tragedy somehow even worse. But I guess two of her coaches were also there? I never would have guessed that Kobe would have been so involved in his daughter's life, which is definitely on me. Even with two coaches he still felt he had to be there, still felt like he had something to provide, still wanted to be close. A real helicopter parent.

[bryanb]

Damn, I can't do post editing or I'd have added this.

Not to speak ill of the (now) dead, but wasn't Kobe Bryant the guy who was accused of raping a hotel maid? And later paid her off to get rid of the accusation?

Yeah, that's not a very popular fact to mention today, but it definitely colored my reaction to Kobe's death. His talent on the basketball court was undeniable -- he wasn't always the best team player (go figure, a rapist who was hard to get along with at times!), but he was one of the most explosive scorers the game has ever seen. His scoring 81 points in a single game remains a jaw-dropping achievement in modern basketball history. He was too much of an overdog from an early age to be a favorite player of mine, but I definitely enjoyed watching him play and respected the hell out of his skills. I didn't want to believe he was a rapist...part of me honestly still doesn't. Still, if you're willing to voluntarily pay millions of dollars to silence someone who has accused you of one of the worst acts someone can do to another person, then yeah, you're probably guilty. I don't see any point in challenging the victim's credibility or putting her conduct under the microscope when Kobe himself couldn't be bothered to fight to defend himself.

I do feel bad that Kobe's daughter and apparently 8+ other people in the helicopter (evidently it was a clown helicopter) perished in the accident.

[pinback]

His daughter was there was well. That is just, just awful and makes this tragedy somehow even worse. But I guess two of her coaches were also there? I never would have guessed that Kobe would have been so involved in his daughter's life, which is definitely on me. Even with two coaches he still felt he had to be there, still felt like he had something to provide, still wanted to be close. A real helicopter parent.

Holy shit.

[Jizaboz]

Every time I thought of this guy, I thought of Shaq singing "TELL ME HOW MY ASS TASTE"



(My knowledge of basketball is basically limited to the NBA Jam video game)

Sounds like this might be a case of "It's unsafe to fly sir." FUCK YOU, I PAY YOU. "OK, here we go sir." unfortunately. Kinda like the part in Space Balls when Lord Helmet was told he might want to sit down and put on his seatbelt.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

We can put this in the sports base, but ...

Okay. So, the Denver Nuggets' arena (the Pepsi Center) turned all their lights purple or something. To honor the man.

And again, I want to state that this is a tragedy and just because he was difficult to work with it doesn't mean he deserved any of this. But ...

I mean, he got charged with sexual assault in Eagle, Colorado. Right? Or do I have that wrong? There are lots of liars in sports reporting, lemme check.

... Ok, I checked. The victim refused to testify in the criminal case. Which - fine. She then had a civil suit and reached a settlement and got an apology.

I once got a speeding ticket in some shitty nothing town between Rochester and Poughkeepsie. It was my fault and I still hated them. If I were as rich as Kobe I'd hire a guy to keep my grudges. KB got charged with some serious shit, I am sure he hated Colorado for it. You're really going to have a special thing for this guy, Nuggets?

Here is the statement from the Sacramento Kings:

“Kobe is one of the greatest competitors the NBA has ever known. His storied career and commitment to the game is revered by fans around the globe. He inspired a generation on and off the court to strive for greatness and his countless contributions to basketball will live on.

“We will forever remember the mutual respect shared between Kobe and Sacramento. On behalf of the entire Kings organization, we extend our deepest condolences to his wife Vanessa, their family and all those impacted as we hold them in our hearts and prayers at this most difficult time.”

Really? The Lakers got one of their trips to the finals because a deciding game that they played against you was fucking fixed. If Nickell Robey-Coleman retired tomorrow, I'd hope the Saints wouldn't release a statement of what a great competitor he was and how much respect he had for the franchise he got over on because the sport was fixed.

[RealNC]

Well, "sexual assault" these days can mean anything from actual assault to just looking at the general direction of a female for more than 20 milliseconds.