"Being a Girl Dad"

As I write this post, I feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I too feel the heaviness and weight that Kobe Bryant’s loss brought this week. My family hasn’t been immune to the overwhelming feelings of grief from his passing and the lost of his daughter Gigi and the other friends and loved ones that died on January 26th. It’s taken me a few days to try to put it into perspective. Friends of mine recently lost the fathers in their lives and I feel the aching all over thinking about another father that has passed away, too soon.

Driving home this evening, I thought about the loss but also the wonderful tributes and coverage of a man, a father. I thought about how there are too few portrayals of the wonderfulness of Black fathers. Let alone, a portrayal of a man that appeared from all accounts a loving father of four daughters.

On Twitter, I saw a moving tribute to Kobe Bryant by ESPN anchor Elle Duncan. She shared her one time encounter with him where he greets her happily to hear that she was soon to be a mother to a baby girl. He seemed to find a connection in the experience he shared, being the father of daughters. Elle Duncan shared that Kobe considered himself “a girl dad.” It seemed to be his pride and joy. She ends her reflection with “the only small source of comfort for me is knowing that he died doing what he loved the most. Being a dad. Being a girl dad.”

Yes, Kobe is most known and remembered for his work ethic, skills, winning an Oscar and philanthropy. But what greater tribute to a man, a father, then to be called “a girl dad.”