Kobe Bryant is not here anymore. The legend is gone. An absolute champion of his sport but he was something more. He was great on the same level humanly, he was special. That’s why he leaves a bigger void even to non-basketball fans. Because he had remained humble, he loved simple people. His death moved everyone in a special way. The whole world with him, next to him. It shouldn’t have happened and when it is said that the best are always the first to go, for him this is even truer. Great sadness for who didn't deserve it. Now he will meet people like him up there and will be able to smile at our tiny earthly stories. He will always be there for us. As Ferrari fans we can remember him for his moments in red. Ferrari gave joys and emotions to him too. Say hello to the Ferrari greats Kobe, hug them for us.
Because Kobe had a red heart, which beat for Ferrari. He had a longtime love of the Prancing Horse as he lived in Italy for eight years since he was only six, learning to speak Italian.
NBA star killed in helicopter crash in California had a love of all things Maranello. The world knew him for his five championship rings but Ferrari Club members knew him as one of their own.
The Lakers star loved Ferraris. Buying one of them, he preferred the most common models, those that better than others fully represented the values and style of the Prancing Horse. The first entry into his possession was the F430 (bought for 400 thousand dollars), which was followed by the 458 Italia, on which Kobe requested some customizations. Not only during public outings as sporting events but also in everyday life the basketball player loved to go out with his Reds.
The Official Ferrari Magazine chronicled his visit to the factory in Maranello three years ago (where he learned all secrets of design, customization and production of the Reds but also the history and values of the company) and how the retired star got hot laps around the Fiorano circuit with test driver Raffaelle de Simone in an F12TdF. Kobe himself later took to the track in the same car and acquitted himself well around the circuit’s eight turns.
“I learned what passion, creativity and imagination really mean here,” Bryant told Ferrari Magazine. “Growing up in these cities filled with history was a constant inspiration and developed my imagination. Italy is the place of art, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. For an American kid it meant being constantly stimulated, always asking questions and looking for answers. On the basketball court of course but in other places too. Because you may have scored all the points you want or won all the trophies in the world but if you don’t grow as a person you’re nothing. The most important challenge for each of us is always the one which is still to come.”
Welcome among the immortals.
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