This Friday will mark the fourth anniversary of the death of Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant. Bryant was one of several passengers, including his daughter Gianna, on a helicopter that tragically crashed in Calabasas, California on January 26, 2020, causing an outpouring of grief from both Lakers fans and the basketball world as a whole.

Current Lakers coach Darvin Ham recently spoke on the upcoming somber anniversary and what Kobe Bryant meant to him.

“Just his passion to conquer whatever he involved himself in,” said Ham, per NBA insider Mark Medina on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “He wanted to conquer it. If it was documentaries, books, basketball, all of that, the plan he was about to unveil for women's basketball… anything he wanted to get involved in, he wanted to be the best at, and he was going to do each and every thing possible in terms of gathering resources and information so that he was coming into a situation, whether he had common knowledge of it or not, prepared. That's why he was who he was, God rest his soul. We still feel his presence in a lot of different areas.”

Kobe Bryant was indeed known for his legendary work ethic both during his Lakers career and after he retired, when he expanded his interests into the creative world. Although he may no longer be with us, it's refreshing to know that his legacy will continue to inspire generations to come, including current members of the Lakers.