The NBA community and the world of sports have been struck by the sudden and tragic loss of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. This includes Dwayne Haskins.

Kobe Bryant was killed at 41 years of age on Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif., with 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. The retired star shooting guard and future Hall of Famer had contact with an immense number of fans and athletes, with many of the latter being in the former group.

Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins met Bryant, and the 22-year-old Ohio State product shared on social media his last time encountering the deceased NBA star.

ā€œJust met Kobe while training at his facility for the NFL,ā€ Haskins wrote on Twitter on Monday afternoon. ā€œRIP to a legend. Gone too soon.ā€

Athletes from the United States and around the world have been pouring in messages of meeting Bryant along with what the star meant to them. Bryant retired after the 2015-16 season following twenty illustrious seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. After the Lakers acquired him on draft night in 1996 as the thirteenth overall pick, Bryant grew into an All-Star and co-star with MVP center Shaquille O'Neal, winning three straight titles before turning into the lone star on L.A., later becoming an MVP in his own right, a scoring champion, and back-to-back Finals MVP in 2009-10.

The five-time NBA champion and eighteen-time All-Star has been the inspiration for the competitive edge many and more professional athletes and fans have bottled inside of them. Bryant and his patented ā€œMamba Mentalityā€ have played a critical role in the development for players, with Redskins signal-caller Dwayne Haskins among the many grieving this week.

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