One of Kobe Bryant‘s last selfless acts before his death was helping the daughter of his fellow crash victims achieve her dreams. LA Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka revealed at Kobe’s memorial that the NBA great had texted him from the helicopter the morning of the fatal crash asking for a favor — could he help 16-year-old Alexis Altobelli get an internship in the baseball world? He wanted Rob, a former sports agent himself, to ask famed baseball agent Scott Boras to take Alexis under his wing; he would serve as a character reference for the talented teen.
Alexis lost her parents, Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli and Keri Altobelli, and her sister, Alyssa Altobelli, in the January 25 helicopter accident that killed Kobe and Gianna Bryant, as well as four others. Scott is honoring Kobe’s last wish, Rob told mourners at his Staples Center memorial, by creating an internship for Alexis at his agency. She’ll “be able to rotate through the company’s various departments, including marketing, baseball operations, sports science and office administration,” according to the Los Angeles Times. Boras, arguably the best-known agent in baseball, had already invited the Altobelli family to tour his Boras Corp. office.
A passion for baseball runs hard in the Altobelli family, widely considered the “the First Family” of Orange County College baseball, according to the Orange County Register. Alexis’ father coached baseball at the college, located in Costa Mesa, California, for 27 years. Her older brother, J.J. Altobelli, is a scout for the Boston Red Sox. The late Altobellis were honored with a memorial of their own at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California, where J.J. gave a passionate eulogy. “The amount of love and support we have received these last few weeks has been truly amazing. Each text, call, donation, or act of kindness has not gone unnoticed,” he said, fighting through tears. “The legacy they left will continue to live on through all of us. But, for tonight, let’s all live by my dad’s favorite motto: you drinkin’ or thinkin’?”