IN the words of Rep. Eric Martinez, ‘There must, indeed, be basketball Gods.’
For how one can explain that hours after a newly-built gymnasium named after Kobe Bryant was inaugurated in Valenzuela City, the legendary Los Angeles Lakers superstar would perish in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas.
Martinez, who represents the second district of Valenzuela in Congress, was naturally stunned by the news that woke him in the wee hours of Monday.
The young solon is an avid Kobe fan who named his latest covered court project – his sixth and still counting - located at the Tomas Manuel Subdivision as ‘The House of Kobe.’
“The death of the legend was the birth of this house,” said Martinez, who still can’t believe the tragic death suffered by Bryant, 41, the former MVP and five-time NBA champion.
Less than 24 hours earlier, Martinez was with Senator Bong Go and other Valenzuela City officials as they inaugurated the purple-colored court in tribute of Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Kobe if one way or the other makarating sa iyo itong opening ceremony, you have a house here. We call it ‘The House of Kobe.’ Please come back to Manila,” an ecstatic Martinez said in an interview as he called out on Bryant.
Shortly after, the solon was informed about the tragic news.
“Sunday dito sa Valenzuela, was the birth of ‘The House of Kobe.' Sunday sa California, the death of a legend,” said Martinez. “Nagkasabay, hindi ko alam paano ipaliwanag yun. Maybe the basketball gods really have something to do with that.”
Martinez quickly went to the court when daylight came to pay tribute to his late idol, complete in his Kobe jersey.
“Umiyak ako kanina,” he admitted. “Siyempre, malungkot. I can’t put it into words.”
As the day went on, people began flocking to the court, which Martinez expects to go on for the rest of the week.
He sees the gymnasium as a reminder of the kind of player Bryant was in his career.
But more importantly, Martinez said the place should inspire people on how the way Bryant lived his life, short as it may.
“The short life of the great Kobe Bryant will inspire the young. This guy showed and set the example of excellence day in and day out,” said the solon.
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