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COMPLETE, TESTING AND COORDINATION WITH THE PHILADELPHIA TEACHERS UNION WILL CONTINUE. IT IS UNDENIABLY THAT KOBE BRYANT IS LEAVING LEGACY BEHIND IN OUR AREA. TONIGHT WE'RE HEARING FROM ANOTHER LOCAL LEGEND WHO HAD VERY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NBA STAR, NATASHA BROWN JOINS US WITH SUNNY HILL'S STORY. NATASHA?
YOU KNOW, KOBE BRYANT'S DEATH ALONG WITH THE DEATH OF HIS YOUNG DAUGHTER AND SEVEN OTHERS ON BOARD THAT HELICOPTER HAD STRUCK HEART BREAKING CORD WITH PEOPLE ALL AROUND THE WORLD. BUT NO ONE IS MORE HEART BROKEN THAN A PHILADELPHIA SPORTS HALL OF FAMER, WHO HELPED TO TEACH THE BASKETBALL LEGEND THE FUNDS MENTALES OF THE GAME AND LIFE AT A VERY YOUNG AGE.
I WAS NUMB, DISBELIEF. LIKE THOSE AROUND THE WORLD, SUNNY HILL IS STILL TRYING TO COME TO GRIPS WITH COBB'S TRAMATIC DEATH. SOME LIKE MANY FOR THE FORMER BASKETBALL PLAYER LONG TIME WIP RADIO HOST, KOBE'S LOST COULDN'T BE MORE PERCENT.
WHEN JOE CAME BACK TO PHILADELPHIA AFTER HIS CAREER, HE BROUGHT KOBE TO ME, ABOUT 14 YEARS OLD. KOBE'S FATHER ENDED HIS PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL CAREER AFTER PLAYING IN ITALY FOR SEVERAL YEARS, HE BROUGHT YOUNG KOBE TO THE SUNNY HILL BASKETBALL LEAGUE IN PHILADELPHIA. A PLACE HE, HIMSELF, HAD PLAYED AND LEARNED THE GAME. SO ACTUALLY STARTED MOVE MY EVENT MENTAL LEAGUE WHICH IS FOR SIXTH, SEVENTH, EIGHTH GRADERS. I SAW I'M INVOLVEMENT HE IS ONE OF THOSE PROGRAMS. I WAS PART OF THE EVOLVING OF HIM.
HILL REFLECTS ON SECURE TEENAGE BOY WITH A DRIVE TO LEARN THE GAME AND BE THE BEST. WE HEAR THE STORIES ABOUT KOBE GETTING UP AT 5:00 IN THE MORNING AND WORKING ON HIS CRAFTER ALL THE WAY THROUGH, THAT WAS THE GENESIS OF IT.
SUNNY HILL RECOLLECTS THE LAST TIME HE SAW COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AT THE KOBE WRITTEN HIS FIRST BOOK, A TOUCHING EXCHANGE SEEDS INTO HIS MEMORY. KOBE WOULD ALWAYS GIVE ME A BEARHUGS HUG, GRR. SO IT GIVES ME A BIG BEARHUG, AND HE SAYS, I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU. HE SAYS I HAVE ASSIGNED COPY MY BOOK. ANOTHER BEARHUG MOMENT CAME ON THE BASKETBALL COURT DURING KOBE'S LAST GAME IN PHILADELPHIA AGAINST THE 76ERS.
SO MANY MOMENTS FROM A YOUNG KOBE TO THE ICONIC LEGEND AND PHILANTHROPIST, SO MANY MORE STRIPPED AWAY IN A INCH. THE THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE THAT WAS IN FOR FOR US AS A SOCIETY IF THIS GIANT AFTER MAN HAD BEEN ABLE TO LIVE HIS LIFE BEYOND 41 YEARS.
WELL, MR. HILL SHARED THE SUNNY HILL PHILOSOPHY WITH US, ONE THAT HE SAYS KOBE CARRIED OUT SO WELL IN LIFE. HE USED BASKETBALL YOUNG FOLKS TO MOLD THEM INTO BETTER HUMAN BEINGS, AND TEACH THEM TO REACH BACK, TRY TO BRING OTHERS UP. KOBE HE SAID WAS THE EPITOMY THAT FAR. GAVE INCREDIBLE INTERVIEW, MENTIONED YOUR NAME, AS WOMEN, MAN WHO LOVED THE GAME, LOVED HIS LEAGUE, YES. NO QUESTION IT, MR. HILL, I TELL YOU WHAT, HE IS ONE OF MY MENTORS, ONE OF MY HEROES, NO DOUBT ABOUT, THAT THE HILL LEAGUE, SECOND TO NONE BACK IN THE DAY. KOBE HAS 15 YEAR OLD, WHATEVER, PLAYING THAT, SOMETHING SPECIAL, SO MR. HILL WAS THERE FROM THE BEGINNING. WHAT'S WHERE IT ALL STARTED. HE'S INSPIRED SO MANY, SO MANY PEOPLE.