In light of the chaos and panic surrounding COVID-19 and one of the most monumental losses of this past year thus far, a tweet went viral over the weekend lamenting the death of Los Angeles Lakers star, Kobe Bryant this past January. The tweet by @xflguru posited to his more than 1,600 followers that if the basketball player was the “glue” holding the world together. While the question might have been rhetorical, it went viral nonetheless and sparked an intense debate among social media users, many of whom were on the fence over the insinuation.
With more than 88,000 retweets and 424,000 likes as of this writing, the tweet posted on March 12 sprang a number of responses with many alluding to Bryant’s name as being a clear link in its significance, while others were just not feeling it and suggested there was a lot more stemming from the widespread panic as of lately than just the loss of Bryant.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“I think the timeline broke when Donald Trump got elected. That s— was not supposed to happen,” wrote one fan, while another added, “It all started with Harambe dying. Then Brexit. 3-1 leads being blown. Trump winning. Viruses. Fires. Floods.”
It would seem so. Everything has pretty much turned to shit since he died.
— The Original Sourceman (@Sourceman23) March 12, 2020
“Let Kobe rest in peace, some won’t even believe [Kobe Bryant] was killed but it’s a topic for another day,” added another.
“He is the luckiest person ever because he didn’t see any disaster,” wrote another. “We are living kiss of death nowadays.”
Another user interjected, suggesting social media users “go on google translate, translate ‘covid’ from English to Hebrew – and then copy the Hebrew translation and translate it back to English…” Naturally, the results were surprising and had many confused over the coincidence.
While many still didn’t fall for it, another responded that the recent events taking place around the world and ongoing pandemic involving COVID-19 was merely something of Biblical proportions.
— D🦅 (@DansLdn__) March 13, 2020
“No. It’s JESUS. It always has been, it always will be,” one user wrote. “That’s why after He comes back, the world will be in even worse shape than how it is now. Time to get right people. I’m not perfect, but I love HIM and I want the world to know it.”
THANK YOU. I was searching for this reply because this tweet is just bizarre and obsessive… Don’t get me wrong yes Kobe was a good guy with good spirits but the way people treat him as God is really starting to p me off
— Benjamin L Barnes (@probablynot91) March 13, 2020
On Jan. 26, Bryant, his daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash when they were traveling to a youth basketball tournament at the Lakers star’s Mamba Sports Academy facility. The crash has been officially ruled an accident by the L.A. County Coroner, although investigators are still attempting to determine further details, including the cause of the crash, which occurred on a particularly foggy morning.
Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the helicopter company, claiming the helicopter should have never been permitted to fly due to the weather conditions. The 76-page lawsuit also argues that the aircraft was unsafe, as it lacked a Terrain Awareness and Warning System. She is also seeking damages for the “pain and anguish” her husband and daughter could have potentially suffered amid the crash.
Vanessa is also “absolutely devastated” following allegations out of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, where deputies shared graphic photos of the helicopter crash that killed nine. In a statement issued by her lawyer, she is also incredibly upset over the reports and privacy breach, as the department continues their investigation over the heinous act.
Photo credit: Getty Images
