The Story
The world was shocked when news broke out that NBA legend Kobe Bryant, affectionately called The Black Mamba, had died in a helicopter crash. Bryant was on his way to a youth basketball game when the chopper went down over Calabasas, California, killing the star, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. The death of Bryant impacts the game of basketball on a number of levels, as well as the sports community overall, and also hits home to Calvin Ayre.
While he achieved many accolades on the hardcourt, Bryant was much more than just a basketball phenom. Off the court, he founded the Kobe Bryant China Fund to bring education and health programs to China, was behind the Mamba Sports Academy in California, a center designed to provide a multi-sport training facility to young athletes, and was also involved with the LA Lakers Youth Foundation (LALYF), which supports non-profit organizations. Calvin Ayre and the Calvin Ayre Foundation sponsored the LALYF twice, and Ayre has contributed directly to the organization, having worked directly with Bryant, Magic Johnson and others to help improve the quality of life of local children.
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The most important thing is to try and inspire people
