In the wake of basketball player Kobe Bryant’s sudden death, a hurricane of emotions was set off. Shock, sadness, disbelief and for some, anger. The last of these is rooted not in the image of a celebrated and beloved basketball player or in the perception of a devoted father. But rather, amid the deeper folds of Bryant’s legacy, which were often overlooked.
As the news of his death circulated, there was an outpour of tributes and homages recounting Bryant’s contributions to basketball. Notably missing from these pieces was an acknowledgment of the very-much credible sexual assault accusations against him.
The facts are as clear now as they were then. Bryant was 25 when he was accused of sexually assaulting a then 19-year-old employee at the hotel he was staying at in Colorado.
Although he initially denied the accusations against him and the criminal case got dismissed, Bryant later publicly stated, “I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.” Following his statement, there was an out-of-court settlement between the two parties.
As someone who has been closely following the conversation around Bryant’s death on social media, I have noticed those who do bring up his history of sexual assault are shunned and silenced with some variation of the words, “Is it necessary to bring this up so close to his death? How would his family feel?”
I can only respond by thinking out loud, how do you think the survivor of his sexual assault feels today?
Nevertheless, that question in itself was not the entirety of what I felt when I first heard the news. My heart broke for Vanessa Bryant, who lost not just her partner but also her 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant.
I thought about the fatherless daughters he had left behind, who would have to learn to navigate life with a loss this immense at an age so young. I thought about the fans he inspired who grew up watching him. I thought about the Black community, to whom he may have been a role model for what could be possible.
At the same time, I also thought about the survivor watching people glorify his legacy while simultaneously dismissing her grief in lieu of their own.
I want to suggest it is not possible to talk about Bryant’s legacy without discussing all of it. While the accusations against him are far from being as ‘glamorous’ as the rest of it, his legacy is incomplete without addressing them.
By doing so, we not only discount the experiences of sexual assault victims all around, but we also reinforce power relations in society between men and women, and between those with money and power and those without. I refuse to believe it is ever “too soon” to discuss these deeply pressing issues.
These conversations need not be mutually exclusive. There is a need to account for these complications because the bigger conversation surrounding Bryant is a nuanced one. To treat it any differently would be irresponsible.
It is possible to understand the way fame and wealth may insulate a perpetrator from being brought to justice, while also acknowledging Bryant was an amazing basketball player who certainly did not deserve to die in the tragic way he did, and the people who loved him are still grieving.
All of this is crucial to fully—and truthfully—unpacking Bryant’s legacy. More importantly, the truth is key to realizing that generally, what we choose to admire is so often male and as a result, what we choose to sweep aside as ‘inconvenient’ is so often female.
To move towards change is to move towards these truths no matter how bitter they may be. It is to understand people are complex beings with imperfect histories. After all, admiration without honesty, is merely a fantasy.
File photo.
