Kobe Bryant and John Altobelli were two of the nine people who died in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles on Jan. 26. Both of their daughters also died in the helicopter crash and the daughters played on Bryant’s basketball team, Team Mamba. It led to Bryant and Altobelli forming a bond with each other and Bryant sent Altobelli a strong text message for his baseball team. Altobelli was the head baseball coach at Orange Coast College and the message Bryant sent to him in 2019 was something he posted on his wall so all his players can see it. Here’s a look at the message.
This is a text message Kobe Bryant sent last year. It is haunting and moving and sad.
But this story is about the recipient of the text, not its sender. Coach John Altobelli lived to enrich others. He embodied the power of teachers. And then he was gone: https://t.co/iCdoXqiqev pic.twitter.com/oHGm851tmq
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 11, 2020
Altobelli was entering his 28th season as the head coach at Orange Coast College. He put together a strong career as he has won over 700 games and led the team to four state championships.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“It’s hard to put into words what this loss means to the college and the athletics department,” OCC Athletics Director Jason Kehler said in a statement. “John was a tremendous coach and an even better friend. Beyond that, he was an amazing mentor to all of the students and athletes that he taught and coached. He treated them all like family and his impact will live on forever.”
Altobelli’s wife, Keri also died in the helicopter crash and all three members at the Altobelli family were honored at a memorial service at Angel Stadium, the home of the Los Angeles Angels. John Altobelli’s son, JJ, spoke at the service and he loved how thousands came out to show love to the family.
“This is pretty cool,” JJ said. “Thank you guys so much for coming, it really means a lot to all of us. On behalf of me, Lexi [Altobelli] and [fiancée] Carly [Konigsfeld], we can’t thank everyone here enough. The amount of love and support we’ve received these past few weeks has been truly amazing. Each text, call, donation or act of kindness has not gone unnoticed. It really shows the impact that my dad, K [Keri] and Alyssa had on everyone here.”
“I was going to get up here and talk about my dad, K, and Alyssa, but there’s no way for me to put what they meant to me into words,” he continued. “The legacy they left will continue to live on through all of us. But for tonight, let’s all live by my dad’s favorite motto: You drinkin’ or thinkin’?”
