SUGAR HOUSE, Utah — The loss of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, along with seven other people has been felt around the world.
People from all over have taken the time to remember the basketball legend. An ESPN reporter shared a story of Bryant from the one time she met him, and it has since gone viral. She spoke about how Bryant talked about how much he loved being a ‘girl dad’ now social media sites have been flooded with photos and stories with the hashtag #girldad.
On Thursday evening, the Boys and Girls Club in Sugar House was filled with elementary-aged girls playing basketball, with many proud ‘girl dads’ watching. Not all were on the sidelines, however. Dave Price is a proud ‘girl dad’ and ‘girl coach’.
“Being a girl dad awesome. There is nothing like having daughters around and seeing the love they have for me,” he said.
The father of five said he has enjoyed coaching all his kids in a sport he loves, basketball. He wasn’t always a fan of Bryant’s but as the years went by, his love for the basketball great grew as well.
“What I think has been really cool from this whole experience, it's tragic and sad but what's amazing from the story for me is how much positivity has come out of it for women’s sports and also the legacy Kobe is leaving beyond basketball,” he said.
Some of what he’s learned from Bryant, he uses in his own coaching.
“I’ve seen a lot of stuff on social media on the way he treated his girls, his daughter GiGi especially, and just the time he put into them and how passionate he was about it and I hope to portray that with my own kids and the kids I coach,” he said.
Price said he is happy to help teach his kids life lessons through sports.
“With my own kids and the kids I coach just the love of the game and also just instilling confidence in them and making them feel good about themselves and just learning really important lessons in life that come through sports,” he said.
