Skip to content
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • PodBean
  • Subscribe To The My Pal Sammy Newsletter
  • ABOUT
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

My Summer Lair

Think NPR's Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: My Summer Lair with host Sammy Younan: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.

  • Home
  • Podcast
    • My Summer Lair
    • Space Station Oddity
  • Set The VCR
  • New Book Alert
  • True Sammy Stories
  • Toggle search form

Kobe Bryant’s Fadeaway

Posted on January 27, 2020 By Sammy Younan

I’m still processing the Kobe thing. It’s surreal.

Thing is, the NBA is not like celebrity culture. Lots of celebrities die at various ages…there’s the 27 Club, the classic accidental overdose and the car accident etc.

But all NBA players are young…they come into the league in their early 20s and most retire somewhere in their mid-30s (or leave America to play overseas). And they’re all surrounded by doctors and medical staff so nobody in the NBA really dies.

Like in the NFL there’s lots of death and suicide but that’s mostly related to CTE and the sample size is larger because the teams are bigger (there’s about 400 players in the NBA: that’s about 4 NFL teams.).

In the NBA Bill Russell was 100 years old when we started watching Jordan in the mid-80s and yet he faithfully comes out every All-Star Weekend. You know we’re gonna see him in a couple of weeks.

Magic has tested positive for HIV…yeah right. He looks healthier than most people I know.

There’s a couple of smaller and dark examples: Robert Tractor Traylor died in 2011 from a heart attack; Len Bias in 86 he coulda been something special we’ll never know but nothing like this.

The NBA is death free. To be an NBA fan we get together for NBA games and documentaries and Nike commercials and All-Star games but never for funerals.

And it’s Kobe too. Bobby Hurley had a devastating car accident but survived and never played again. Mookie Blaylock was on life support after his car accident but he was retired by then and he got well enough to serve time in jail (did not see any of that coming!). These are not big names had they died most people would just shrugged. Who? (Mookie was cool back in the day…that’d be a sad one!)

The whole thing is so weird. And sad. The poor mom who must bury a kid…that’s never a good thing. While we gotta bury a god or a superhero: pick the metaphor you’re comfortable with.

Truth: I hadda take Monday off…I can’t deal with people’s nonsense right now.

Picked up a bag of Doritos Sweet Chili Heat and a 2 liter bottle of Coke and I’m out. Stayed home with my emotions.

It’s so hard because this current crop of NBA players watched Kobe: these are Kobe’s kids not Jordan’s kids.

They knew Kobe, trained with Kobe, and watched him play. So everybody is just devastated.

I follow…well followed Kobe on social and yeah his daughter seemed she was on her way. She had a decent jumper.

Sigh. I dunno.

This is such an odd NBA year…we kick off losing Kobe and in June the Jordan-Bulls doc The Last Dance drops on Netflix. It’s just an odd recognition of all that we’ve seen. We’ve lived through some fierce battles.

-28-

NBA Tags:Kobe Bryant

Post navigation

Previous Post: Goodbye Kobe Bryant
Next Post: Under-Review: NBA Jam

More Related Articles

Marcus Thompson (Kevin Durant's Relentless Pursuit) My Summer Lair 119 Under-Review: Kevin Durant’s Relentless Pursuit to Be the Greatest Books
Reyan Ali (NBA Jam) and Sammy Younan in My Summer Lair Under-Review: NBA Jam Books
The Agents Are Free NBA
Jordan Ain’t No Joke Episode 6 (The Last Dance Podcast) Garbage Time - NBA
Jordan Ain’t No Joke Episode 3 (The Last Dance Podcast) Garbage Time - NBA
NBA Playoffs 2020: Game 7! Garbage Time - NBA
  • #SetTheVCR: September 18-24, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    For this week's TV recommendations we got a Superpower, Super Models, a Saint and Saving people. That's right it's #SetTheVCR where this weekend we check into The Continental for a 3 night stay.
  • #SetTheVCR: September 11-17, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    This week's #SetTheVCR is Based on a True Story. Lots of TV recommendations that'll guide you through the Wilderness but do look out for a sudden Swarm or even a comedic Wolf.
  • #CouchWorthy: August 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    A terrific TV recap of August 2023. Here some August TV highlights that are #CouchWorthy. Maybe you missed em or didn’t hear about em. Sweet Sammy Suggestions for August 2023…
  • #SetTheVCR: September 4-10, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    This week's #SetTheVCR is a Rogues' Gallery of thieves, creeps, killers and criminals. Oh and lots of Star Trek to balance out all the dark TV recommendations.
  • #SetTheVCR: August 28-September 3, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    RoboCop and a Wanted fugitive. Choose Love because it's time to #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: August 21-27, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Flash forward and see yourself enjoying these TV recommendations with your Vacation Friends: It's #SetTheVCR!
  • #SetTheVCR: August 14-20, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Take Shelter from the Summer heat with these Untold TV Recommendations: from Elvis to Tracy Morgan this week's #SetTheVCR is Killing It.
  • #SetTheVCR: August 7-13, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    You maybe Summering but with this #SetTheVCR post is All Up In The Biz of TV recommendations. Only Murders In The Building returns so we should kick off this TV week with a Clue.
  • #SetTheVCR: July 31-August 6, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Welcome to the Paradise of TV Recommendations: this week's #SetTheVCR is bursting with blockbusters and concludes with a Lollapalooza livestream. Not bad for the dog days of Summer.
  • #SetTheVCR: July 24-30, 2023
    by Sammy Younan
    Need some TV recommendations while you laze by the pool and enjoy the Summer? From Good Omens to Twisted Metal…this week's #SetTheVCR has TV covered from Soup to Nuts.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: DCEU Is Pee-Ew | Batgirl vs HBO MaxAugust 5, 2022
    Sammy & Rob Gaudette discuss and review the status of the DCEU following the cancellation of Batgirl on HBO Max. Rob still has hope.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: Contact Photography Festival 2022 | Culture SnapMay 12, 2022
    Sammy is joined by photographer Henry VanderSpek aka Culture Snap to discuss and recommend a happy handful of Contact Photography Festival exhibitions.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: A Taylor Hawkins MemorialMarch 28, 2022
    Sammy & Stephanie discuss the shocking and sad passing of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins on March 25, 2022.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: All The Batmans | Keaton To Nipples to BatfleckMarch 10, 2022
    Sammy & Stephanie discuss All The Batmans: from Michael Keaton to Ben Affleck.
  • MSL Space Station Oddity: 2021 Induction Ceremony | Rock & Roll Hall of FameNovember 25, 2021
    Sammy & Stephanie discuss their happy highlights from the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

  • Yaron Weitzman (Tanking to the Top) and Sammy Younan in My Summer Lair 148
    Under-Review: Tanking to the Top: The Philadelphia 76ers
    by Sammy Younan
    My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan reviews Yaron Weitzman's Tanking to the Top. Trust The Process of The Philadelphia 76ers?
  • New Book Alert: January 10-14, 2022
    by Sammy Younan
    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.
  • New Book Alert: January 3-7, 2022
    by Sammy Younan
    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.
  • New Book Alert: November 8-12, 2021
    by Sammy Younan
    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.
  • New Book Alert: November 1-5, 2021
    by Sammy Younan
    My weekly collection of new and notable books for your pop culture pleasure and edification: #ReadMoreTweetLess.

Copyright © 2023 My Summer Lair.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme