Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash

Kobe Bryant, 41, the legendary basketball star who spent 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, was killed when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed and burst into flames Sunday morning amid foggy conditions in the hills above Calabasas, sources told the Los Angeles Times.

Bryant’s death stunned Los Angeles and the sports world, which mourned one of basketball’s greatest players. Sources said the helicopter took off from Orange County, where Bryant lived.

The crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m. near Las Virgenes Road, south of Agoura Road, according to a watch commander for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Four others on board also died.

Bryant excelled at Lower Merion High in Ardmore, Pa., near Philadelphia, winning numerous national awards as a senior before announcing his intention to skip college and enter the NBA draft. He was selected 13th overall by Charlotte in 1996, but the Lakers had already worked out a deal with the Hornets to acquire Bryant before his selection. Bryant impressed Lakers General Manager Jerry West during a pre-draft workout session in Los Angeles.  Less than three weeks later, the Lakers traded starting center Vlade Divac to the Hornets in exchange for Bryant’s rights. Bryant, whose favorite team growing up was the Lakers, had to have his parents co-sign his NBA contract because he was 17 years old.

The 6-foot-6 guard made his pro debut in the 1996-97 season opener against Minnesota; at the time he was the youngest player ever to appear in an NBA game. He started in only a handful of games during his rookie season, coming off the bench in support of Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones. However, coach Del Harris played him more as the season progressed, allowing Bryant to showcase the skills that made him a top candidate for rookie of the year. Those skills were also on display when Bryant won the 1997 NBA slam dunk competition.

Bryant continued to improve during his sophomore season in the league, averaging 15.4 points per game. However, his breakout came in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season when he started in all 50 games after the Lakers traded away Van Exel and Jones.

Bryant and leading scorer Shaquille O’Neal quickly morphed into one of the most lethal scoring and defensive combinations in the league. Together, with coach Phil Jackson guiding them, they led the Lakers to three consecutive championships (2000-02) as Bryant began to cement his place as the game’s top player.

Despite coming together to win some of the most closely fought playoff series in Lakers history, friction started to develop between Bryant and O’Neal. Tension between the two stars continued to build during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons as the Lakers failed to capitalize on their status as top contenders for the NBA title. Making matters worse, Bryant was arrested in July 2003 on allegations of sexual assault.

The charges were eventually dropped, but Bryant’s reputation took a hit.

After the Lakers lost to Detroit in the NBA Finals with a star-studded team that included Karl Malone and Gary Payton, O’Neal was traded to Miami and Jackson’s coaching contract was not renewed. As the team’s undisputed leader, Bryant signed a seven-year contract to remain with the team.

Bryant summed up the tensions between him and O’Neal after the Lakers won the NBA title in 2009: “We’re great as individuals, but . . . it’s probably the first dynamic duo that had two alpha males on one team. We managed to make it work for three championships.”

Bryant posted some of the best offensive numbers of his career over the next three seasons, but the team struggled, failing to make the playoffs in 2005 before suffering consecutive first-round defeats to Phoenix in ’06 and ’07. Jackson returned to the team for the 2005-06 season, and Bryant went on to lead the league in scoring that season with a career-best 35.4 average. He scored 40 points or more in 27 games and became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964 to finish with 45 points or more in four consecutive games. His biggest single-game achievement came Jan. 22, 2006, against Toronto when he scored a career-high 81 points, second most in NBA history. Earlier that season, on Dec. 20, 2005, he scored 62 points in 33 minutes through three quarters of a game against Dallas; he had outscored the entire Mavericks team, 62-61, entering the final quarter, in which Bryant did not play. Bryant continued to impress during the 2006-07 season, scoring 50 or more points in a team-record 10 games and averaging 31.6 points a game to capture his second NBA scoring title.

“He is the No. 1 player in the league, by far,” Washington gaurd Gilbert Arenas said in 2006. “With a player like him, he just wants that challenge. He’s just that fierce competitor. He doesn’t want to get out-showed. He’s the one who everybody’s afraid of.”

Bryant’s 2007-08 NBA MVP season got off to a tumultuous start after he reportedly demanded to be traded. He was reportedly unhappy with Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak and Jackson."I would like to be traded,” Bryant said during a radio interview. “Tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there’s no other alternative. It’s rough, man, but I don’t see how you can rebuild that trust. I just don’t know how you can move forward in that type of situation.”

Bryant eventually backtracked on his trade demands and posted perhaps his best all-around season, leading a team re-energized by Pau Gasol’s arrival from Memphis in February 2008 to a first-place finish in the Western Conference. The Lakers embarked on a memorable playoff run before losing to Boston in the Finals. Later that year Bryant went on to win a gold medal with the U.S. team at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

With Bryant pleased about the direction the team was heading, he guided the Lakers to back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010. He was named the NBA Finals MVP both years as the team once again ascended to the top of the NBA.

Ongoing soreness in Bryant’s knee and ankle coupled with the team’s heavy reliance in him played a role in the Lakers’ championship run coming to an end in 2011. Bryant posted his lowest points per game totals since the 2003-04 season as he dealt with the aftereffects of offseason arthroscopic knee surgery. He went on to win his fourth NBA All-Star Game most-valuable-player award but fell short of his ultimate goal of winning a sixth NBA title. Bryant also became the youngest player in NBA history to amass 27,000 career points.

Bryant finished third in league scoring in 2011-12 despite dealing with ongoing knee and ankle issues. In January 2012, he scored at least 40 points in four consecutive games, which included a 48-point effort against the Phoenix Suns.

Following the team’s acquisition of Dwight Howard in August 2012, the Lakers were regarded as a favorite for the NBA title. However, friction between Bryant and Howard started to develop as the team struggled. Despite this, Bryant led the NBA in scoring for much of the first half of the season and surpassed NBA great Wilt Chamberlain for fourth all-time in league scoring. But Bryant’s season came to a disappointing end when he suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon against the Golden State Warriors on April 10. The injury and subsequent surgery prevented Bryant from playing in the early portion of the 2013-14 season.

Bryant, who signed a two-year, $48.5-million contract extension with the Lakers before the start of the 2013-14 season, did not return from injury until December. He played in only six games before suffering a lateral tibial plateau fracture in his left knee. The injury forced him to miss the remainder of the season as the Lakers limped to a 27-55 record, missing the playoffs for only the second time since Bryant joined the franchise.

He retired from the NBA but began a new career in Hollywood.

In 2018, he won an Oscar along with director Glen Keane for the animated short film “Dear Basketball.”

Just last night, Laker LeBron James passed Bryant for third on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

Rainbows toast the 100th basketball season

On Thursday night, several former players, coaches and staff members gathered to toast the ’Bows’ 100th basketball season. The festivities will continue during Saturday’s game against UC Davis. There will be displays of memorabilia throughout the Sheriff Center, with tributes to past players during timeouts and at halftime.

“This has been a year-long celebration,” coach Eran Ganot said. “We have special game events to honor it.”

Ganot, who has a passion for history, marveled at the growth of a program, whose first game was a 14-13 victory over McKinley High in 1912. Through the first two decades, the ’Bows played mostly against high school, military and club teams, with opponents such as Department Hospital, All Chinese Athletes and Goeas Beauts.

Their first collegiate opponent was Washington, 1938. World War II led to a four-season hiatus in the 1940s. The program was revived for the 1946-47 season, which concluded with eight consecutive games on the mainland.

The ’Bows gained popularity in the 1950s, under head coaches Al Saake and Ah Chew Goo. Home games were played at Bloch Center, at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard and a gym on UH-Manoa’s upper campus near where Sinclair Library is now located. Next to the on-campus gym was an open-air “locker room” where teams dressed under the Manoa mist. At halftime, the teams gathered under a stage in the gym.

During that era, a local kid, Willie Lee, was at the end of the bench until summoned at the end of blowout games. The 6-foot-6 Lee developed a sky hook and became one of the ’Bows’ top post players. During that time, Bill Allen also became a prolific scorer after focusing solely on basketball. (Legend has it Allen lost his airport job when a cart he was steering ran into an airplane.)

The program reached the next stage when it hired an island son, Ephraim “Red” Rocha, as head coach in 1963. The Hilo High graduate had a standout career at Oregon State before becoming Hawaii’s first NBA Draft pick. With an injury resulting in a protruding pinkie, one of Rocha’s hands formed a natural shaka sign. It was Rocha who would put together the first great UH team — the Fabulous Five — that earned appearances in the 1971 NIT in New York City and 1972 NCAA Tournament.

After that, the program produced an Olympian (Tom Henderson), two dynamic Carters (Reggie and Anthony), a “Helicopter” (Erin Galloway), a “Real Deal” (Trevor Ruffin), and a player who answered to “Savo.”

After missing two free throws that forced overtime, Predrag Savovic hit six in the extra period to spark a UH victory. Asked how he can turn misses into hits, Savovic said: “I am Savo.” The next game, there were “I am Savo” signs at the four corners of the arena.

Along the way, there was head coach Riley Wallace’s coat-tossing protests; celebrated reserves George Ritter and his fans, “Ritter’s Sitters,” and Luke “Rudy” Meyers; Ruffin’s last-second shot and Tes Whitlock’s ESPY-nominated winner (he called his 3-point shot “Trey-cy”), and the bench squad known as “Hawaii Five-0” that inspired the 2016 NCAA run.

Kawika Hallums was the first to coin UH’s road upset of BYU as being “better than statehood.” Alika Smith said the stunner over then No. 2 Kansas was “better than the invention of the plate lunch.”

“Everything,” Ruffin said of what his UH career meant. “One of of the best experiences of my life, including the NBA.”

-- by Stephen Tsai

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Celebrating 100 Seasons - Hawaii Men's Basketball's Top 10 Moments (video)

2020 NFL Draft

1/7/20 - Tua turning pro

Tua Tagovailoa and Vavae Malepeai top All-Decade Team

The argument — or debate, if emotions are left to the side — about the best offensive player of an entire decade could last a lifetime.

After all, how does a one-time state champion at quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, rate above a one-time state-champion at running back, Vavae Malepeai? If the selection for this All-Decade team is solely on leadership, the nod goes to Tagovailoa simply because QB is the man.

Over his three seasons as Saint Louis’ field general, Tagovailoa exploded with a seasoned group, then felt the weight on his shoulders as the leader as a junior, and then evolved into a new version of himself as a senior.

The statistical wow factor was still there, but the management of key situations became another part of Tagovailoa’s mastery. It was needed. In his senior year, still without a state title, Saint Louis had just begun to reassert its dominance on defense. Tagovailoa, battling injuries as the team’s leading rusher during his career, didn’t need to dominate, didn’t need to make all the big plays anymore. He still did much of the time, but scaling back and letting his maturing teammates carry more of the burden led to a Crusaders state title in the Open Division.

Malepeai was an alpha warrior as much as Tagovailoa on the gridiron. Mililani’s offense depended heavily on his durability, versatility and talent. The read-option offense gave Malepeai plenty of work. Through big games, injuries and high expectations, Malepeai continued to set the tone with his blend of power and breakaway speed.

Saint Louis had a talented group of pass catchers, a very good offensive line, but as the dynasty was reborn, offensive coordinator Ron Lee notes that it wasn’t a supremely dominant unit around Tagovailoa. At Mililani, the balance of the offense with QB McKenzie Milton — who also has a case as the All-Decade top offensive player — and WR Kalakaua Timoteo, plus a sterling O-line and plenty of depth, made the Trojans an offensive juggernaut.

Between editor/prep historian Jerry Campany, writer Billy Hull and yours truly, two of us leaned to Tagovailoa and one preferred Malepeai. Tua over Vae? That’s the call here, even if it is just by the slightest of nods.

David Stern

David Stern, the NBA commissioner during the most successful period in league history, has died, the league announced Wednesday. He was 77.

Stern died as a result of the brain hemorrhage he suffered three weeks ago. His wife, Dianne, and their family were with him at his bedside, the NBA said.

Stern was commissioner for three decades and shepherded the league into the global market. He helped expand the game on the backbone of the NBA's star players, highlighted by the Dream Team's impact at the 1992 Olympics.

The NBA itself grew under Stern. Seven teams joined the league, and six relocated. Stern also helped in the creation of the WNBA, which had its inaugural season in 1997, and the NBA Development League, now known as the G League, providing countless opportunities for players to pursue careers playing basketball in the United States that previously weren't available.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of NBA Commissioner Emeritus David Stern. The WNBA will be forever grateful for his exemplary leadership and vision that led to the founding of our league," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in a statement. "His steadfast commitment to women's sports was ahead of its time and has provided countless opportunities for women and young girls who aspire to play basketball. He will be missed."

Stern's tenure overlapped with two of basketball's all-time greats, Michael Jordan and LeBron James. Stern became commissioner in February 1984, the year Jordan entered the league. Stern stepped down from his post three decades later in 2014, the year after James won his second NBA title.

James paid tribute to Stern on Instagram, writing in part, "Thank you for your commitment to the beautiful game of basketball that has changed so many young adult/kids lives and more importantly your vision to make our game become WORLDWIDE was a vision only you could make happen! You did just that. Making our game the greatest sport in the world!"

Jordan, owner of the Charlotte Hornets, echoed those sentiments.

"Without David Stern, the NBA would not be what it is today. He guided the league through turbulent times and grew the league into an international phenomenon, creating opportunities that few could have imagined before," Jordan said in a statement. "His vision and leadership provided me with the global stage that allowed me to succeed. David had a deep love for the game of basketball and demanded excellence from those around him -- and I admired him for that. I wouldn't be where I am without him. I offer my deepest sympathies to Dianne and his family."

Magic Johnson, a key member of the 1992 Dream Team, praised Stern in a series of tweets for how he responded after Johnson announced his retirement in 1991 after revealing he had HIV.

"David Stern was such a history maker. When I announced in 1991 I had HIV, people thought they could get the virus from shaking my hand," Johnson tweeted. "When David allowed me to play in the 1992 All Star Game in Orlando and then play for the Olympic Dream Team, we were able to change the world."

Larry Bird, whose on-court rivalry with Johnson helped spark the league's growth, was another member of the Dream Team who helped grow the game's popularity internationally.

"There are no words that can really describe the far-reaching impact of Commissioner Stern's brilliance, vision, fairness and hard work over so many years," Bird said in a statement. "When you think of all that he accomplished worldwide on behalf of thousands of players, so many fans, all of the jobs he created for team and arena employees and all of the people that benefited from the many layers of growth in the sport and industry that David spearheaded and then passed on to others, there is no doubt Commissioner Stern lifted the NBA to new heights and he will be greatly missed by all of us."

Stern was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.