Mamba Forever: Our favorite stories about Kobe Bryant from this week

Today, Jan. 26, is the one-year anniversary of the helicopter crash in Calabasas that killed nine people, including Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Throughout the week, there have been a number of things written that pay tribute to the Lakers star while honoring the wishes of Vanessa Bryant, who’s asked members of the media to not recount the tragedy of last year out of respect for her family and the other families involved.

With that in mind, we thought we’d share some of our favorite Bryant tributes from around the web, and from this website. We are mindful of the fact that not everyone is ready to read about Bryant — especially on a day like today — but for those that do want to use today to celebrate Bryant’s life and illustrious basketball career, here are a few pieces that can help you do that.

• Kobe Is Gone—but in Today’s NBA He Is Everywhere | Howard Beck, Sports Illustrated
• Former childhood home in Italy, Reggio Emilia, honors Kobe Bryant with plaza dedication | Dave McMenamin, ESPN
• Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant and the bond of brothers | Ramona Shelburne, ESPN
• The Lasting Memories of Kobe and Gigi | Mirin Fader, The Ringer
• Kobe Bryant and the Story of El Camino Real | Ben Pickman, ESPN
• Remembering Kobe: Former Lakers teammates on his greatness | Brad Turner, Los Angeles Times
• The unstoppable Kobe Bryant, as told by the defenders tasked with stopping him | Jorge Sedano, ESPN
• 24 Great Kobe Bryant Stories to Read on 8/24 | Michael Pina, Sports Illustrated
• What was it like to step onto the court against Kobe for very the first time? | Rachel Nichols, ESPN
• Kobe Bryant’s message helped guide me through this tragic year | Harrison Faigen, Silver Screen and Roll
• Los Angeles will never forget Kobe and Gianna Bryant | Harrison Faigen, Silver Screen and Roll
• Disneyland cast members experienced Kobe Bryant, the girl dad, in backstage encounters | Mia Agraviador, Silver Screen and Roll
• Kobe Bryant lives on in Los Angeles through the Mamba Mentality | Christian Rivas, Silver Screen and Roll
• Lakers still break their huddles with ‘Mamba on three’ to honor Kobe Bryant | Christian Rivas, Silver Screen and Roll

Did we miss any stories you loved? Let us know in the comments below, and for more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow this author on Twitter at @RadRivas.