All The Smoke (DR) / @satou_sabally

If the WNBA is at the heart of debates today , Kobe Bryant already put the league in the spotlight before his tragic death. He went to different rooms to support the players and leave them with lasting memories. Satou Sabally, All-Star and MIP, tells…

Last summer, thanks to the exploits of Marine Johannès with the New York Liberty, the French public became really interested in the WNBA, this rapidly developing championship.

But this year, thanks to the combined arrivals of Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and even Cameron Brink, the whole United States is looking at it and tearing itself apart over some pretty crazy controversies.

For example, following the announcement of the American selection for the Paris Olympic Games, many people believe that the leader of Fever should have been there for her popularity alone , regardless of the level of her competitors on the lines. rears.

A position that would undoubtedly have driven Kobe Bryant , one of the first true defenders of women’s basketball, crazy.

Kobe’s gift to a WNBA superstar

He moved around the rooms to provide support and visibility, but also to inspire his young daughter Gianna, who was so talented with a ball in her hands.

The Mamba would therefore not appreciate attention being focused on things as futile as the Clark/Reese rivalry , when the level of play has never been so good on the floor.

He also loved the NCAA championship, proof of this with the testimony of German superstar Satou Sabally in Paul George’s podcast.

He signed a pair of shoes for me, it was my last year in college. A game against USC. Our staff knew Kobe would be there, but they didn’t want to tell us.

We saw him during the warm-up, he was focused. I didn’t want to miss a shot…

Then he came into our locker room, and he wrote a little note in the book I was reading at the time. I got his message tattooed on me by the way.

Long before women’s basketball was “in fashion”, Kobe Bryant traveled to the WNBA and NCAA halls to support young stars.

Satou Sabally was able to have a pair of shoes and a book signed, two objects that she will never lose.

She also left with a photo that must be worth gold to her.

Kobe Bryant definitely had an eye for talent… He noticed Satou Sabally during his Oregon days, and today she is a double All-Star in the WNBA as well as an MIP. This meeting undoubtedly played a role in the career of the Dallas star.