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Los Angeles Lakers president and general manager Rob Pelinka revealed he received a text minutes before Kobe Bryant died in a tragic helicopter crash on Jan. 26.
Pelinka, who was Bryant's longtime agent, shared this anecdote during a Celebration of Life for him and his daughter Gianna, 13, who died along with seven other passengers in an S-76 Sikorsky helicopter upon crashing on a Calabasas hillside.
In the text, Bryant inquired about the names of baseball agents, hoping to get someone he knows a potential internship with one of them, according to Mark Medina of USA TODAY Sports.
As ruthlessly and maniacally competitive as Bryant was during his playing career, he was just as eager to help after he called it a career. He was known for helping other players find their own Mamba Mentality, but he also had a huge part in helping those outside the sport find their own path to greatness.
Texts like those to Pelinka are only a small show of the kind of person Bryant became after 20 years in the league and his willingness to lend a hand through the slew of connections he's made over a 20-year playing career.
Bryant would have touching details with many of his close friends as well. He gave Pelinka a copy of one of his Wizenard books with a note that read: “May you remember to enjoy the road, especially when it’s a hard one” — something Pelinka likely took to heart, persevering through former Lakers president Magic Johnson's exit at the end of last season and crafting his own roster upon inheriting the green light in the front office.
