Few athletes have had the generational impact of Kobe Bryant. He’s a legend, a champion, an icon, an idol, a trendsetter, a family man, and one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He’s an athlete I spent a significant time watching and following while growing up, even from halfway across the world.

It was only fitting that I found out about the tragic news of Kobe’s death – along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others – Sunday while I was on the basketball court. Right after I finished playing a pick-up game, I decided to check my phone, which I barely do since basketball is the only time I allow myself to escape work and the madness that comes with the MMA news business.

So, I look over, and I find plenty of messages from my friends informing me of the devastating news. Surely it can’t be real? I mean, that’s why they’re hitting me up, to verify the rumor, right? When it was confirmed to be true, I was stunned, in pure shock. It didn’t really sink in until later that night.

Growing up watching Kobe

Kobe Bryant during the final game of his career in April 2016. (Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports)

I did not grow up as a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers. In fact, I was a die-hard Phoenix Suns fan. They’re in the Pacific division with Kobe and the Lakers, so there were plenty of head-to-head matchups in both the regular season and playoffs. Both my brother and cousin were avid Kobe fans, though, so I’d watch practically every Lakers game since I fell in love with the sport in 2003.

I started playing basketball a year after, and my first jersey was No. 8 – Kobe’s number before he switched to 24. My coach gave it to me because he said I had a good jump shot, so I gladly took it. Since then, Kobe’s had a major impact on my family. We’d pull all-nighters watching every game and then run to my teacher’s computer during registration to continue tracking the score.

One of my classmates was a big Lakers fan, and I remember watching Kobe score 62 points against the Dallas Mavericks in three quarters of a 2005 game. I was in awe. I couldn’t wait to tell him the news. I walked into class with a big smirk on my face, and he instantly knew something was up. Internet wasn’t that accessible here in Cairo unless you connected on a computer, so we barely had time to sit down and check the scores unless we were in IT class. I looked at him and said Kobe scored 62. He goes, “Liar! No way!” I smiled back and said I swear to God, he did.

It was one of many incredible things Kobe would go on to achieve that constantly left me speechless. Of course, I’ll never forget that buzzer-beater he drained against the Suns during the 2006 playoffs, although the Suns would come back from a 3-1 deficit to win the series.

But you just knew that, when the clock was winding down, Kobe would deliver. And surely that’s what he did time and time again.

2012 Olympics

Kobe Bryant at the 2012 Olympics in London. (Christian Petersen, Getty Images)

The 2012 Summer Olympics took place in London, and my family and I decided to go so we could attend the basketball games. We purchased tickets for the two semifinals and gold-medal game, basically knowing that Team USA was a lock. The roster included Bryant, Lebron James, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, and an array of other NBA stars. We had incredible seats, and it was surreal being so close in the second row.

We watched Team USA beat Argentina in the semis, then make it to the finals against Spain. During halftime, I spotted Ricky Rubio, who was one of my favorite players, casually sitting in the crowd, but I don’t think anyone noticed it was him. He just blended in, but I couldn’t go up to him because he wasn’t in my section. That didn’t discourage us though. My cousin and I got up from our seats and tried to get to him. I counted the sections to figure out where he was then ran down the corridor. Luckily, a security guard had his back to us, so we slid in and ran downstairs to find Rubio. I reached him and took a photo with him. Unfortunately for Rubio, I also made everyone aware, so they bombarded him. Oops.

As I made my way back up, I noticed Kobe’s wife, Vanessa. I ran up to her until a massive bodyguard stepped in front of me. But Vanessa was so kind and said it was OK. So I took a photo with her, too, and Gloria, Lebron’s mother. As an avid fan, it was so cool to meet the players’ families. I knew everything about them.

Kobe’s charity game in Dubai

After I graduated university in 2013, I wanted to take some time off to figure out what to do with my life. So I decided to travel a bit. I went to Spain then Morocco, but one week before I left Morocco, I suffered a pretty bad injury on the basketball court. I tore a ligament in my ankle and broke a bone in my foot. I was on crutches for a while. As soon as I got back to Egypt, I started proper physical therapy, and weeks later my cousin hit me up saying that Kobe would be in Dubai organizing a charity game. He wanted to go, and I was in.

I ditched the crutches, convincing myself I no longer needed them and headed to Dubai with my cousin. We spent the entire four days trying to figure out where Kobe would be. We tracked him down at the mall twice, at the charity game itself, and finally at a club where Lil’ Jon was performing. All the while, I hobbled from place to place.

It wasn’t easy to enter the club, and my cousin told me we needed to find a way to get in. Another issue was the dress code: It was heels only for females, and I couldn’t even put on a shoe. We didn’t even bring proper attire, so we went shopping. Luckily for us, our cousin who lives in Dubai knew the owner of the club, so we were able to get in. We stood there for like five hours waiting for Kobe to arrive until he finally made an appearance. We were freaking out so close to him, and he was there with his wife Vanessa. There was a lot of security, but we called out his name, and he turned around and gave us the peace sign. We couldn’t get a photo, but that was good enough.

Kobe vs. Jordan

The memories wouldn’t stop there. Kobe always drew comparisons to the legendary Michael Jordan for his style of play, and it caught my cousin’s eye in a special way. So he decided to put together a comparison video. Having already memorized all of Kobe’s moves by heart, my cousin dug up some of Jordan’s. Three months later, he delivered one of the most viral basketball videos. He would go on to make another two parts, which led to him being contacted by Time Warner Cable in Los Angeles in 2014. They wanted to film him and a bunch of his friends watching a Lakers game live.

So at 4:30 in the morning, me, my cousins and a bunch of our friends found a cafe that allowed us to come in and watch the game. We were filmed watching the Lakers take on the Suns. Although the Lakers lost, Bryant had 39 points. People were baffled to see the interest we had for the game from this side of the world, as people often are. I get that everyday as an MMA journalist, but I grew up as a passionate sports fans.

Kobe’s untimely always will be a tough pill to swallow. I felt like Kobe was just starting life after basketball and setting up the next generation, including his daughter, Gianna. He always showed interest and support for the WNBA. Their lives were cut way too short.

Kobe, you will forever be remembered, You will forever have an impact on my family that I’m grateful for. Rest easy, Kobe, Gianna, and the seven others who died in that helicopter.

Farah out.