Basketball fans, and the entire world, were shocked yesterday after learning that NBA legend Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash. Bryant was on his way to a youth basketball game when the chopper went down over Calabasas, California, killing the star, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others. The death of Bryant, affectionately called The Black Mamba, impacts the game of basketball on a number of levels, as well as the sports community overall, and also hits home to Calvin Ayre.

Bryant first entered the NBA in 1996 when he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets. Almost immediately, he was traded to the LA Lakers, where he spent the entirety of his long and successful 20-season career – five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, 18 NBA All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA First Team selections and more. When he retired in 2016, he was the third-highest regular-season scoring player in league history.

However, he was much more than a basketball phenom. Off the court, he founded the Kobe Bryant China Fund, which worked in conjunction with the Chinese government-backed Soong Ching Ling Foundation to bring education and health programs to China. He was also behind the Mamba Sports Academy in California, a center designed to provide a multi-sport training facility to young athletes. He was the official ambassador for After-School All-Stars, a non-profit organization that develops after-school programs for children across the US.

Bryant was also involved with the LA Lakers Youth Foundation (LALYF), which supports non-profit organizations. Calvin Ayre and the Calvin Ayre Foundation sponsored the LALYF twice, and Ayre has contributed directly to the organization, having worked directly with Bryant, Magic Johnson and others to help improve the quality of life of local children.