LANSING, Mich. — Basketball fans are still in disbelief that one of their idols is gone.
Kobe Bryant was one of nine people who were killed in a helicopter crash Sunday morning.
Lansing business owner Desmond Ferguson played in a game against Bryant during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers.
"He made a shot to send it into overtime, then we were up with one second left in double overtime. One second left, [he] got the ball at half court, he shot a long three to beat us by one," said Ferguson.
Many people only knew Bryant through a TV screen, but that doesn't make the pain any less real.
"It's just real deep, and we're all going to be here for each other and get through this," said Kobe fan Xavier Perez.
Perez and a group of friends decided to pay tribute to Kobe by painting the Rock on the campus of Michigan State University.
"He deserved all the respect that he had so he clearly deserved this. This is, by far, the least we can do," said Landon Borrego who also painted the rock.
Michigan State Basketball Head Coach Tom Izzo said that Kobe had a great impact on the current Michigan State players. The team heard the news after their win against Minnesota Sunday.
"I didn't believe it, I mean I think one of the things people lose sight of is he was a tremendous basketball player and he taught everybody how to work hard and how to compete at a high level, but he was a family man after that," Aaron Henry, Spartan forward.
"It's an emotional time for my family because he was a hero and an icon to us all. My kids looked up to him, one of my boys, that was his favorite player," said Juwan Howard, who played in the NBA during Bryant's era.
"Truly devastating, like I really started crying because he's someone I definitely looked up to, an icon," said Brandon Johns Jr., Michigan forward, East Lansing alum.
Fans say they admired the sports star for his talents on and off the court.
"He shows a lot of dedication, hard work, loyalty. [It's] just something that I always wanted to show everywhere in everything that I do," said Perez.
"I think he had so much more life to live in the things that he was going to do with his daughter and in business and with winning an Oscar," said Ferguson.
There will be a candlelight vigil held Tuesday night at 8 p.m. at the Rock on MSU's campus.
Spreading beyond Mid-Michigan, the Detroit Pistons spoke to the media Monday about Bryant's passing.
"It's very hard to comprehend, but one thing I know that our league is to do is to go one, to be strong, to continue to compete, not feel sorry for ourselves or anything like that and that was in my message to the players this morning," said Dwane Casey, Pistons head coach.
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