Speaking just hours after the tragedy that killed the 41-year-old father of four, his daughter Gigi, and seven others, Slappy claimed he was hard to remain calm.

‘I don’t know how I’m going to get over this myself,’ he admitted. ‘I am raw.’

The 67-year-old basketball coach, who has been close friends with Kobe’s father for decades, stated that the NBA legend’s family is left feeling empty.

Can you visualize a black hole? It’s empty; how will you fill it? They are a close-knit family. He was 41 years old, and his daughter died in an accident beside him,’ he said.


‘His family will deeply miss him.’Plus all the other things he was attempting to do to occupy his enormous mind, his capacity to speak and articulate himself, and create images that would benefit others. His appreciation of basketball’s importance extended beyond basketball.

‘He was highly intelligent, both Spanish and Italian. He could hold an intellectual chat with you about any subject.

Kobe leaves behind his wife Vanessa, daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and seven-month-old Capri, as well as his parents and sisters Sharia and Shaya.

Slappy stated that despite significant disputes between Kobe and his parents early in his life, their family tie remained strong, and his late daughter Gigi was close to her grandfather Joe, affectionately nicknamed Jellybean by his friends.

“I recall after one Lakers game. Jellybean had been in Japan instructing. He had just returned. As soon as she saw him, Gigi dashed over to grab him. You should have seen the look in her eyes when she saw him. It’s those moments when you know there’s love in the family,’ Slappy explained.


‘I’m sure she wanted to emulate her father’s greatness in some manner.
He also mentioned how Kobe hugged his father during a recent basketball camp in Santa Barbara, implying that the family had resolved some of their previous disagreements.

I remember being with him at his camp in Santa Barbara and seeing him hug his father. ‘You can tell they loved each other by the way they looked at each other and smiled,’ he explained.

‘Every family has challenges and fights. The mending process begins, but it will be difficult because he is not present.

The 67-year-old’s voice trembled as he said, ‘Kobe was starting to look so much more like him as he got older.’

Slappy stated that one of Kobe’s distinguishing characteristics was his attention, passion to basketball, and determination to win, while his father described him as ‘a basketball nerd’.

‘He was an inspiration who demonstrated by example. He would not leave the gym until he had made a thousand shots. Not took a thousand, but made a thousand. Consider that, said the New Jersey-born coach, who instructs basketball in Los Angeles and Orange County.