On Tuesday, the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli paid tribute to the NBA star Kobe Bryant as he feels that the basketball legend’s death put everything in perspective for him. During a media interaction ahead of the ODI series against New Zealand which is scheduled to commence at Seddon Park in Hamilton, Virat said Bryant’s death was “was heartbreaking” and “a shock for everyone”.

Talking about the legend, Kohli said, “It was heartbreaking, it was a shock for everyone. I grew up watching those NBA games in the morning when someone passes away like that, it does put everything in perspective. You get inspired by watching someone, but you understand at the end of the day, life can be so fickle.”

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He further added, “Sometimes, we get to too caught up thinking about the game, about what shot to play, what ball we need to ball, but we forget to live life.  I am bracing life and I am appreciating it. You want to enjoy every moment that you are going through, what you are doing in a day is the not most important thing, the most important thing is life itself.”

Bryant, 41, was traveling with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers and crew when their Sikorsky S-76 helicopter slammed into a rough hillside in Calabasas and unfortunately no-one managed to survive the crash. 

The Basket Ball legend was a five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist Bryant is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game.

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The men in blue will be playing a three-match ODI series against the Kiwi with the first game scheduled to be played at the Seddon Park in Hamilton on Wednesday.