Coach Morris Michalski is AIA staff and a veteran basketball specialist with more than 25 years of coaching experience at various levels of the game, including his role as life coach/chaplain to the USA Basketball National Team.

The world is in shock. A man known worldwide by his first name is gone.

Kobe let the planet know he retired with these words — Mamba out. Now, just three and a half seasons later, the same two words are being painfully attached to more than his retirement. And once again we are hit with the reality that there is little security in this life, even for legends.

I got the word probably just like you, the tragic news stampeding across my phone screen Sunday afternoon like an unwelcomed fastbreak. Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, among seven precious others, dead. In a moment, we felt the loss of a sports icon we were absolutely unprepared to memorialize. Death is no respecter of persons.

Throughout the day, floods of condolences rolled in. NBA teams committed 24-second shot clock violations in his honor, athletes dedicated their seasons to one of the greatest of all time, and the people of Los Angeles made makeshift memorials for yet another neighborhood hero gone too soon.

Now, like you, I am left to process what to do with my sadness.

Let me offer my best thoughts in these early, raw moments. These are the three questions I have been wrestling with:

HOW SHOULD KOBE BRYANT BEST BE REMEMBERED? 

Of all the photos, YouTube clips, and stats we could pile high to stoke our memories, this fact is undeniable: Kobe was certainly one of the best ever to play the game. In his 20 seasons as a legendary Laker, he was an 18-time NBA All-Star, won five NBA championships, was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time NBA Finals MVP, and a regular season MVP.

He was an uber-fierce competitor whose drive was unmatched and whose relentless work ethic inspired generations of athletes to compete passionately and purposefully. He was the Black Mamba, a sport assassin and consistent winner with a fadeaway jumper that too often left opponents speechless.

He was a man of much style and grace, one who marched to his own drumbeat, an innovator, a basketball ambassador, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Yes, his legacy to some is not without blemish and seems unfinished to others, but the transcendent impact of his mentorship, his friendship, his love for his community, his love for his family, and his bond with his daughters will forever resonate.

He strikingly stamped the game and its people, at all levels and for both genders, and his family commitment drew mounting, enviable praise. Kobe had much impact at home, at STAPLES Center, and around the globe.

Remember that Kobe made moves to address his past failings and faults and not let his past condemn his future. In his later years, he wanted to present a better version of himself to his family and to all of us. He put in some hard work here, not just on the hardwood. He didn’t let his power and fame excuse himself from this mission. I respect this.