“Did you hear?” one cashier at the Trader Joe’s on La Brea Avenue and 3rd Street said quietly to another staffer as he passed by. “One of the things that I realized growing up here that brought us together was the Lakers and Kobe. Even after he retired, this is a Kobe town.”The mood was the same in Orange County, where Bryant lived. “The death of Kobe Bryant feels exactly like losing a childhood friend. Man, just wow, just shocked.”Like many famous athletes, Kobe is known just by one name all over Asia.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 26, 2020 22:18 UTC