On a special edition of Beyond the Sport...in the wake the tragedy surrounding Kobe Bryant, we sat down with the man who was by his side for his entire career.

Gary Vitti started his career as the Lakers head athletic trainer back in 1984. During his tenure, he worked with some of the NBA’s biggest stars including: Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and James Worthy.

But perhaps his most important and lasting work began in 1996 when Kobe Bryant entered the league.

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For the next 20 years wherever Kobe went, Gary Vitti was nearby.

From the championships ... to the injuries...even 35,000 feet in the air….up until they both retired in 2016.

Spectrum News 1 anchor Melvin Robert sat down with the legendary trainer for an in-depth interview.

In the interview, Gary remembers the incredible difference between Kobe the basketball player and Kobe the loving friend, husband, and father.  

He also shares one of the last Facebook posts Kobe sent Gary of a recent basketball game when Gianna hit an iconic jump shot.

Gary tells Melvin one of his most memorable moments of mending Kobe after a pivotal injury in the 2000 NBA Finals.

Gary has now been retired for over four years, but still keeps extremely active. He wrote a book, 32 Years of Titles and Tears from the Best Seat in the House, which explains to readers “what he learned about happiness, greatness, leadership, and the evolution of sports science.”

He also has a weekly blog in which he still comments on the evolving techniques behind sports science, and how he navigated difficult treatments to his former players including Pau Gasol.

On February 1, 2020, however, his blog took a more somber reflection, with an honest assessment of handling the unthinkable tragedy that just occurred 6 days earlier: “What Kobe Taught Me About the Five Stages of Grief.”

Watch Beyond the Sport every Friday at 9 p.m. on Spectrum News 1.