Princewill Pius
Although Kobe Bryant retired from basketball, that didn’t mean he gave up on the sport. He shifted his focus to coaching his daughter Gianna. He also worked with the Mamba Sports Academy, which he co-founded to help athletes “unlock their full potential.” Rob Pelinka’s comments at Kobe’s memorial highlight that commitment to future generations — even beyond the world of sports.
Pelinka was in church on the morning of the crash and felt a buzz in his pocket. “For a second, I ignored the notification because I was in church,” he recalled. “But for some reason with this text, I felt a sudden urge to check my phone.” Upon doing so, Pelinka found a message from Kobe asking if he knew a baseball agent in California. Pelinka, who felt another “otherworldly nudge” to respond, replied that he was happy to help.
Kobe’s next text came in around 9:30, mentioning he wanted to help a friend’s young daughter secure a basketball agency internship. “Kobe vouched for the girl’s character, intellect, and work ethic,” Pelinka said. “He clearly wanted to champion a bright future for her… A handful of minutes later, Kobe and Gianna and seven other beautiful souls ascended into heaven.”
As it turns out, the girl Kobe mentioned was Alexis, the surviving daughter of John Altobelli, who also died in the crash. According to the Los Angeles Times, agent Scott Boras will fulfill Kobe’s wish of getting 16-year-old Alexis an internship.
Written by: Nicki
