The types of memories that players and coaches from the team formerly known as the Mambas relive, as if by playing them in their minds they can somehow preserve those who were lost. These are the types of memories that remain. We don’t wanna bother you!” Moorhouse told Kobe. Moorhouse didn’t want to impose or act like he was trying to take advantage of Kobe: “No, man, it’s really OK. Matt Moorhouse, Santiago’s head coach, couldn’t believe it when Kobe offered to attend one of the team’s practices. He once spent several hours teaching Santiago High’s boys’ and girls’ basketball coaches the intricacies of the triangle offense, carefully explaining to the staff how it could even be run against a zone. He was trying to forge strong bonds within the basketball community.

Giving back to the game he loved so much gave Kobe joy: traveling to high schools in the Orange County area to sit in on practices, befriending local coaches whom he had no connection to. He recorded a video for a local high school girls’ coach in Orange County who had been diagnosed with cancer. He invited some to work out with WNBA players he knew. Remember, you have to flash higher if you want to turn, catch, and face more effectively, he’d tell them. I was just thinking about that one move you did the other day. He texted many of them with advice, randomly dropping in little nuggets. He mentored players on rival eighth grade AAU teams and high schools. Kobe’s love for girls’ basketball extended far beyond his own team.

Kobe bryant and gigi