KOBE Bryant's influence isn't just limited in the United States, but is also felt worldwide.
His prowess on the basketball court has been so enormous that a number of parents over the years have given their babies the first name of the "Black Mamba."
One of such is University of the Philippines winger Kobe Paras.
Already dealing with the huge shadow cast upon him by his father and former PBA MVP Benjie, the 6-foot-6 Kobe also tried his best to live up to the inspiration to his given name as he attempted to make a name for himself in the United States.
He once even had a Twitter username of @Im_Not_Kobe, obviously trying to separate himself from the Lakers legend as he played in Cathedral High School and Middlebrooks Academy, both in Los Angeles, before committing to UCLA.
But the 22-year-old second-generation star admitted that Bryant's greatness is just too enormous to ignore that the late NBA great was the reason he chose the jersey no. 24 when he played his freshman year in Creighton.
"Ur the reason why I wore 24 my freshman year. Life is so unfair. #mambaforever," Paras posted on his Instagram stories.
Bryant, 41, perished with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California early Monday morning (Manila time). They, along with seven others, were on their way to the Mamba Sports Academy in nearby Thousand Oaks where Kobe was supposed to coach Gianna and the Mamba girls team.
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