BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Sunday afternoon during brunch with a friend, Cappie Pondexter first heard the tragic news of Kobe Bryant’s death.

“Kobe is one of those people I thought would have a long fulfilling life. I thought I would see him in the Hall of Fame being honored. I actually thought we would be in the same group,” Pondexter said.

In many ways she just like Kobe, just in the Women’s National Basketball Association. She is a two-time champion, an Olympic gold medalist, one of the top 20 players of all time, and patterned her game after Kobe. From the time they met in Beijing at the Olympics he was fan of her and the women’s game.

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“He thought we actually play the game the right way. Our skillset was different was because guys played above the rim, women played below the rim. He just thought that our game was more graceful,” Pondexter said.

After Kobe’s retirement, it was the love his daughter Gianna had for the game which made Kobe give back. But this time to the next generation of girls.

“The number one thing was his daughter Gigi. I think the love she had for the game inspired him to actually teach her,” said Pondexter.

Pondexter and Kobe both were on a special WNBA panel in March, at his academy promoting the game for young women.

“[The media and corporations] need a bigger investment in the women’s game because there are women that are doing phenomenal things not just in basketball, in sports in general, that tend to get swept under the rug,” Kobe said.

In her last text to the iconic star, she asked him to help with a charity event, but Kobe was unavailable because he had just become a dad for the fourth time. It was that same love for his children which had Pondexter looking forward to working with Gianna on her game.

“He wanted me to teach his daughter which was part of the plan. The next move was me going down there and teaching his daughter how to handle the basketball,” Pondexter said.

But now those lessons won’t be needed because their game may now be perfect from above. While Pondexter will always cherish the moments, she had with one of the greatest players to ever live.