Five years after NBA great Kobe Bryant, 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in California, several women’s basketball players reflected on what he meant to their game and how he championed it.

MSU (17-3, 7-2) sits fourth in the Big Ten standings and is ranked No. 17 in the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll and No. 16 in the Associated Press poll thanks in part to a five-game winning streak that most recently featured a 30-point win over rival Michigan on the road.

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant may have tragically died five years ago, but his impact on the entire sport of basketball continues to live on.