 The tragic news of Kobe Bryant's passing didn't just shock the basketball world, it reverberated throughout every sport and every athlete worldwide. The nucleus of the grief of course was front and center in the NBA. There were eight games scheduled yesterday and as word started to spread throughout locker rooms across the association, players had to deal with the shock and grief as well as get ready for their scheduled game. For Kyrie Irving though, the news was too much. He was to make his first start at the garden as a member of the Nets against the Knicks, but the loss of his very close friend and mentor along with his daughter was too much for him to bear. It is extremely understandable considering how close they were. The garden was all classes was the entire league yesterday. They knew what Kobe meant to the game when he played and it was obvious what he meant to the next generation of stars considering how emotional they were at the news of his passing. MSG was lit up in purple and gold as a tribute to the Lakers legend and as the rest of the league did before them, the Nets and the Knicks both started the game paying tribute to Bryant letting the 24-second clock expire on their first possessions. Chance of Kobe would rain down from the loyal garden faithful as the clock wound down. Eventually the Nets and Knicks would play a game but to quote Greg Popovich after his spurs lost yesterday, good game, tough loss. Who cares? The next one but in reality everyone lost yesterday with the news of Bryant's passing after the game some of the Nets reflecting on what Kobe meant to them and the game of basketball. I met Kobe several times for stains, pleasantries and text messages and things but um and and you know maybe it's a little bit over exaggerating but I felt like this was the first time he was you know looking at me as like like the basketball player Spencer you know what I mean and uh you know briefly told you guys how much he meant to you know I'm saying all the people from uh you know where I'm from and you know for him to tell me that you know in in his book I'm All Star and stuff like that you know I mean like that uh talked about the popularity contest before and like you know you don't win things like that you know when you when you're me so for him to say that like I didn't need to be selected you know I mean anymore like because it was a I was an All Star you feel me like it's not just like my family he knows the guy. I think you look around the the locker room some of that we we talked about um before the game just how pretty much every player that's in the league right now you know Kobe is one of these guys where you know he's in different echelon you know we all idolize him as a player um you know the respect that that he had around this league just in terms of being a competitor um his work ethic you know those things were were stuff of the legend um that every basketball player um everybody in this room you know aspire to be like uh and I think that's why you know it's obviously such a profound impact across the league you know not only you know the accolades everything that he did um in this time of the league but you know in my time that he but I doubt that there's ever been a player that was as committed and dedicated as Kobe to this craft. I remember when he first got in the league I was like eight years old I remember you know him going from not playing to being you know one of the greats literally uh and then you know really just focusing on his daughters afterwards um you kind of see him grow up turn into the man he was uh so it means a great deal man it's tough tough day. It's iconic you know then what else can you say like iconic and and uh all of us I think here like the the uh you know it's like the memories of him uh you know they're ingrained you know there's iconic is the best best word I can use. Mamba mentality was defined by Kobe Bryant as quote to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself. It's a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday. Unfortunately for Bryant his daughter Gigi and all that were lost on that helicopter yesterday there are no more todays to enjoy. If you wake up with breath in your lungs make the most of it and be thankful you were blessed with another day. Kobe Bryant gone too soon at the age of 41.