VIDEO: Remembering When Kobe Bryant Threw Out the First Pitch for the Dodgers

Today, August 23rd, would have been Kobe Bryant's 42nd birthday. His tragic passing from earlier this year is still being felt and mourned all around the sports world, but today is also a cause for celebration. Kobe's impact went far beyond just the Los Angeles Lakers,

Back in 2000, when Kobe was rocking the number 8 as a young rising star in the NBA, he got to do the honors of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.

Now, there's no video of the result of the pitch, but you can hear how quickly it hit the catcher's glove — Kobe was throwing some heat. And you just know that with his trademarked Mamba mentality, there would be no smiles from him if he didn't feel like he hit the strike zone as well.

Kobe's passing still stings, but what better way to celebrate his birthday than by remembering the fun moments throughout his legendary career.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.