The Orange County Board of Supervisors and the City of Los Angeles declared August 24 as Kobe Day in perpetuity, on the date of the jersey numbers he wore with the Lakers. 

Kobe Bryant was a familiar figure on campus to many UCI students during his playing days. He was generous with his time, sharing his wisdom and love for basketball, and inspiring young men and women with his incredible commitment to excellence, his unmatched competitiveness, and his legendary work ethic.

However, the one person who knew him best at UC Irvine, spending countless hours and early mornings to help Bryant train, was men's basketball associate head coach Ryan Badrtalei. He spent nearly 10 years training Bryant at UCI, working with him in Crawford Court, the Bren Events Center, the ARC, the swimming pools, the track and the athletic training room. 

Badrtalei reflects on his time spent with Bryant, how it all started, and why he thinks he chose UCI to train.

"It was the Spring of 2007, I had just finished my second season at UC Irvine and my first as a full-time employee after spending year one as a volunteer. I was ecstatic, an aspiring young coach thrilled to finally have gotten my first break on the long, uncertain path of college coaching. With the season having ended and some downtime in the horizon, I accepted a request from our Associate Athletic Director Paul Hope to be the contact person and representative of our athletic department for a certain "high profile" athlete who may have interest in using our athletics facilities to do some training. After all, there wasn't a person who spent more time on campus than I did, and someone who would be willing to do just about anything to help out where I could. So, there I was, waiting in my office in Crawford Hall for him to show up, partially expecting to be stood up.  But then he did, one of the best players to ever play our game, Kobe Bryant, was on campus. He was walking towards the building expecting me to show him around. I took him inside our practice gym and then down the stairs to our dungeon-like weight room.  At the end of our meeting I nervously exchanged my phone number and pleasantries with him and he was on his way. I was certain that would be the end of Kobe's tenure at UC Irvine. Two hours later I received a call…it was Kobe, I anxiously answered the phone and he said, "Hey Ryan, it's Kobe".  I thought to myself, "YEAH, I KNOW!"  He continued, "Can I get in the gym at 6 tomorrow?".  "Sure, not a problem, I'll be there" I replied. I hung up the phone and started to mentally prepared for what the next day would look like. Another couple hours passed by and I realized that I was not certain if he meant 6 a.m. or 6 p.m.  Although I was afraid of the response I texted him asking the specifics and he replied…"AM".  What I did not expect was for that quiet evening and the subsequent 6 a.m. workout the next morning to turn into nearly ten years of Kobe making UC Irvine his home, his place of work, arguably his sanctuary of his creativity and expressiveness that the world came to know as the "Mamba Mentality".  After that first night, UC Irvine became Kobe's home away from home. Kobe spent most days of every offseason on campus at UC Irvine and I was fortunate to be a part of it.  For me, it began as simply opening the doors to the gym for his legendary workouts and quickly turned into sleepless nights working obsessively to put together training regiments that the Mamba would not only approve of but would help him thrive. The mornings were eerily quiet, sometimes starting as early as 4:30 a.m. before the normally vivacious campus awoke. Kobe would put in the work that would make him regarded as one of the legends of our game. Often, he would return to campus in the evening to round out a double-day as he was strategically preparing for a new season, a new opportunity to chase the dream of championships. It came to the point that even after games, late in May and June when the Lakers were chasing the coveted Larry O'Brien Trophy in the NBA playoffs, Kobe would return to the training room for an ice bath or to perfect a move or a shot on the way home from Staples Center.  

Why UC Irvine?  To know for sure, he would have to answer that himself, but as a Newport Coast resident, training at UC Irvine was as convenient as it was pragmatic.  Like most people who visit campus for the first time, the combination of shock and awe of the beauty and warmth of campus was surprising.  The synergy of the campus, facilities and people created an environment that welcomed him with open arms.  He was on first-name basis with faculty, staff, facilities workers, student-athletes and coaches, always shaking hands or fist-bumping as he passed by.  He appreciated our community for allowing him to share the space and to give him the respect to immerse himself in his craft.  He spent hours in the Bren Events Center, Crawford Court, the ARC, the swimming pools, the track and in our training room.  He enjoyed being around the students, an experience he never had with the decision to skip college and go straight to the pros. The more time he spent on campus, the more UC Irvine became a part of him.  After early morning workout sessions on campus, he would often come back in the afternoon and join the UC Irvine basketball team in their open gym sessions, which became unforgettable experiences for our student-athletes that will be talked about for generations to come.  Kobe was even gracious enough to do a question and answer session with the UCI student-athletes spending hours answering questions which turned out to be one of the most real and candid interviews that he had ever been a part of…all to contribute to their experience as athletes and to show his appreciation for them allowing him to share their space."

Kobe will forever be connected with the Anteaters, sharing the characteristics of being innovative, ground-breaking, competitive and as unique as the name that represents them.