Although Sunday marked a difficult anniversary, the basketball world has been contemplating Bryant's legacy throughout the past five years. Multiple NBA stars spoke with Yahoo Sports last year about the Black Mamba's impact, ahead of the fourth anniversary of the Lakers star's passing.

The impact of Bryant’s career, and the ‘Mamba Mentality,’ carry on in the kind of way that almost makes you forget that he’s gone.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ social media offering on Sunday morning was both delightfully sweet and devastatingly sad. The sweet part of the post on X was a photo of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant with his arm around Gianna,

The Lakers shared a message that many fans around the globe were thinking on the fifth anniversary of Kobe and Gigi Bryant's tragic death.

There’s always a few athletes that cross over into almost superhero world,” said an artist whose mural became a site of mourning when the N.B.A. star died in a helicopter crash.

On the fifth anniversary of Kobe Bryant's death, columnist Bill Plaschke remains in mourning while sharing what the Lakers legend might have done for L.A.