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Gray Collegiate basketball players and coach remember Kobe's legacy

While there were millions of people who never met Bryant, the impact he left on people is immeasurable.

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. — Players and a coach from Gray Collegiate Academy are remembering the legacy and impact Kobe Bryant left behind after his and his daughter's death on Sunday.

Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people were killed in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles. Officials are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Bryant is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all-time.

In his 20-year NBA career,  Bryant won five NBA Championships (2000-2002, 2009, 2010), two NBA finals MVPs (2009, 2010), the NBA 's Most Valuable Player award in 2008, and was also an 18-time NBA All-Star (1998, 2000-2016). Many consider him to be one of the greatest players in NBA History, along with LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Many people across the world were shocked to hear the news of Bryant and his daughter's passing. That included Gray Collegiate Girl's Basketball player Adrian Fry.

"I was in shock after I first heard it. I couldn't believe it. I thought somebody was joking or something like that," said Fry.

Tory Kelly, one of boy's basketball players, says Kobe made a mark on the game of basketball.

"Kobe, he changed the whole game. He had the work ethic that nobody else had," said Kelly.

RELATED: The 9 victims in the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant

While there were millions of people who never met Bryant, the impact he left on people is immeasurable.

Chase McDuffie, a guard on the boy's team, believes that impact was across the world.

"Even if you didn't play the game, you just knew Kobe. You felt who he was and what he did," explained McDuffie.

The Mamba Mentality is something many call a lifestyle. It was the way Kobe approached life and the game of basketball.

"The Mamba Mentality is you just stay strong mentally and once you stay strong mentally, you can do anything," said Montraivis White, another boy's basketball player.

David Golden, the Girl's Basketball Coach at Gray Collegiate Academy, says he remembers watching Kobe play on the court.

"He was one of the first basketball players that you look up and he's a role model. You say to yourself, 'I want to be that one day. I want to maybe make it to the league and I want to be Kobe Bryant,'" said Golden.

"Growing up you'd see Kobe Bryant as the basketball player. The older I get, you see the impact that he's had off the court," explained Golden. "The most recent memories I have of Kobe, and not just shooting the fadeaway jump shot. It's him with this daughter, teaching her the game of basketball and being a girl's basketball coach. That resonates so close to me."

It's no secret Gianna Bryant loved the game of basketball. Often times you would see Kobe alongside her teaching her about the game.

Fry says it was amazing how someone like Kobe drew more awareness to the sport of women's basketball.

"Women's basketball doesn't get a lot of recognition and for somebody big like Kobe to recognize women's basketball is great," explained Fry.

"Life is short. There's so many things that don't matter in this world. Our treasures are stored up in Heaven and all that matters. Everyday that we get to live, we're here to advance the kingdom and to make an impact," said Golden.

Bryant is survived by his four daughters and his wife Vanessa, as well as his parents, his siblings, friends and other relatives. 

RELATED: Lakers vs. Clippers game postponed after Kobe Bryant's tragic death

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