BROKEN ARROW — Two local teens are reflecting on their time spent with Kobe Bryant two years ago at a conference in D.C.
"You know I saw him as like a, like a famous, you know someone that I never thought I'd be able to meet. But he wasn't. He spoke to us like a normal person," said Zoey Barlow.
Zoey and her brother got the chance to meet arguably one of the biggest stars in NBA history.
Zoey was selected to speak at the 2018 Project Play Summit. Bryant was one of the featured celebrity speakers.
Zoey says she learned a valuable lesson from one of the best players in the game.
"It opened my eyes, like how everyone is just a person, and no one is, really like above anyone else," said Zoey.
Her brother Eli says he lost a role model.
"I looked up to this guy as an idol and someone that I inspired to be," said Eli. "And just to see him pass away in a sudden little thing like that, it just, it's crazy,"
Eli, like the rest of the world, hoped the news was not true.
"So we all heard about the crash, and we were all just like no way, like this can't be happening," said Eli.
But it did happen Bryant dead at 41-years-old. He leaves behind a legacy on and off the court.
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