LeBron James reacts to losing ‘Black Panther and Black Mamba’ in the same year

LeBron James will certainly miss the Black Panther and the Black Mamba.

LeBron James reflected on losing Kobe Bryant and Chadwick Boseman in the same calendar year.

James plays for the same Los Angeles Lakers franchise that Bryant once starred for. Bryant’s tragic passing at the end of January was a shock to the entire world. Months later in the midst of a global pandemic, James, like all of us, found out that Boseman lost his four-year battle to colon cancer. Bryant and Boseman were only in the early 40’s at the time of their passings.

Losing Bryant and Boseman within months of each other will never feel right.

Though there have been other deaths that have caught us off-guard this year, few had the national resonance of Bryant and Boseman. Bryant and several other people died in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California in late January. In late August, we not only discovered that Boseman had Stage IV colon cancer, but it took him from us far too soon.

Bryant’s impact on the hardwood was simply undeniable. In the wake of Michael Jordan’s reign, Bryant became his closest facsimile. He won five NBA Finals as the star shooting guard for the Lakers. Though his career overlapped with Jordan’s and James’, Bryant was the star player in the NBA for a generation of fans, changing the lives of so many of us on an off the court.

Boseman was one of the most talented actors of his generation. His two most iconic roles were the leading parts in 42 and in Black Panther. He first marveled us playing Jackie Robinson in 2013. Three years later, he began playing T’Challa/Black Panther as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Keep in mind he was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, and he kept that private.

Though Bryant and Boseman were excellent at their respective crafts, it is the impact off the field and away from the silver screen that leaves a powerful legacy. Bryant was a champion of women’s sports and embraced being a girl dad in a way we can all inspire to be. For Boseman, he made a dream of a black superhero a reality for boys and girls all over the world.

James isn’t alone in how Bryant and Boseman impacted so many lives in their short time with us.