Kobe Bryant, A Cryptocurrency Supporter; Tron Dedicates niTROn Summit To Lakers Star

The whole world is still in shock over the fatal helicopter crash in Calabasas, California that claimed the lives of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant and seven other passengers.

Dozens of celebrities have already expressed their grief over Bryant's demise, including President Donald Trump, who tweeted about the former Los Angeles Lakers star upon learning about the devastating news. Fans from all across the globe are mourning for the retired NBA player.

Bryant's 20-year playing career has enthralled and captivated a multitude of devoted followers across different generations. His drive, competitiveness and relentless pursuit of excellence allowed him to win multiple accolades, including the coveted world title that he won five times.

But his passion and dedication for what he did transcended the game of basketball. Bryant's greatness allowed him to win what no other sports champion had done before: an Academy Award. Aside from this, Bryant's success was also apparent in business, with a $6 million BodyArmor investment that turned into a $200 million stake in a few years.

Bryant also had a sports academy, a sneaker line with Nike, bestselling books, a production studio, a venture fund and many other businesses. Bryant inspired people outside of basketball too, and this was highlighted when he attended Tron's (TRX) NiTRON Summit back in 2019 and spoke about entrepreneurship.

In the wake of the former Lakers' star's death, Tron tweeted about Bryant and acknowledged him as a part of the Tron family and that the next summit will be entirely dedicated to Mamba.

"Kobe Bryant, 41, the legendary basketball star who spent 20 years with the LA Lakers, passed away today. Kobe is a member of the TRON Family. As such, we will be dedicating @niTROnSummit's festivities to his legendary life & legacy. Please share your favorite Kobe memories here," TRON Foundation tweeted.

Justin Sun, the CEO of TRON, also tweeted about the summit last year when he shared the stage with Bryant. "Kobe, was great to have met you in niTROn 2019. Mtg you was one of my life's greatest honor & privilege, I'll forever remember us on stage discussing the future of blockchain. We'll have a moment of silence in your honor during niTROn 2020. R.I.P," he said.

Bryant leaves a lot of memories behind, and that goes beyond basketball, which is perhaps what he set out to do all along. Bryant didn't just want to inspire players, but he wanted the next generation to use the mamba mentality to create something great.

"Playing basketball, the focus is always on winning. Winning championships, winning championships, winning championships. Now, championships come and go. There's going to be another team that wins another championship, another player that wins another MVP award," Bryant told CNBC in an interview in 2016.

"But if you really want to create something that last generations, you have to help inspire the next generation, and they create something great, and then that generation will inspire the one behind them, right? And that's when you create something forever. And that's what's most beautiful," he continued.