Derek Jeteris honoring his friend and fellow athleteKobe Bryant.
In an emotional piece written for thePlayers’ Tribuneon Sunday, the soon-to-beBaseball Hall of Fame memberopened up about his friendship with Bryant, emphasizing that the late basketball star was afamily manfirst and foremost.
“All I ever needed to know about Kobe Bryant was this: that throughout our friendship, the most meaningful conversations we had — they were always about family,” Jeter, 45, began the essay.
Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; Shareif Ziyadat/WireImage
Jeter — who shares two daughters,Story Grey, 11 months, andBella Raine, 2, with wifeHannah, 29 — said despite Bryant’s athletic achievements and talents, he will always keep in mind his caring, familial side.
“Here was this guy who was beyond gifted as an athlete, who was obsessed with being a champion, who was known as an absolute assassin with a ball in his hands,” wrote Jeter, “And in the moments I got to spend with him? He didn’t really talk about any of that.”
He added: “He cared much more about being a husband to Vanessa and a dad to his girls. He loved his family — hewashis family. That’s what was important. And that’s the Kobe I’ll remember.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
Allen Berezovsky/Getty
“Tragedies like this have a cruel way of reminding us of what’s important in life: spending time with our loved ones, and being there for them no matter what,” wrote Jeter. “Which makes today’s events feel especially cruel — because no one needed less reminding than Kobe.”
Jeter — who joins other sports stars likeLeBron James,Shaquille O’NealandMichael Jordanto speak out about Bryant’s death — went on to say that Bryant “just loved being a dad,” a fact that he believes should remain an essential part of the NBA star’s legacy.
“Rest in peace to Kobe Bryant — who knew that his life was only as important as the love he had for the people in it. Who knew that he was born to play basketball,” Jeter concluded. “But it was family over everything.”
source: people.com
