The
NBA great’s untimely death led some to recall a disputed sexual encounter that interrupted but did not derail his career
In the first moments that followed news of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter crash at age 41 last weekend, news reports updated with details about the untimely incident and the legacy the NBA star left behind. But it took only a second for some to realize that many accounts ignored one part of his story: the 2003 rape case.
It couldn’t stay hidden in the background. People tweeted old articles about how a 19-year-old accused the star
basketball player of rape at a
Colorado hotel, and they criticized those who ignored it. Others made death threats against people who brought up the case, insisting it was simply too soon, or brushed it aside because the lengthy case against Bryant ultimately collapsed after the alleged victim withdrew.