Kobe Was an All-Star and His Game Gave My Family the Language We Needed

For one Korean American writer, the late athlete bridged generational and cultural divides

Chiwan Choi
GEN
Published in
6 min readFeb 14, 2020

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Kobe Bryant (center) sits with Lisa Leslie and Magic Johnson during the NBA All-Star Weekend in New York on February 7, 1998. Photo: Tim Clary/Getty Images

TThis year I will turn 50. When the topic comes up, my mother shakes her head in disbelief. I shake my own head, too. If I’m 50 that makes my brother 54, my dad 82, and my mom 79. Both in the…

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Chiwan Choi
GEN
Writer for

author of The Flood and the Daughter Trilogy—Abductions, The Yellow House & my name is wolf. partner at Writ Large Projects.