Let them have this.
I have a close friend who grew up in SoCal whose dad died very young. Sports was something he used to cope. Kobe filled that gap for an a present male role model. Kobe’s career got him into seriously following the NBA, and sparked interest in a career in statistics. He didn’t “know” Kobe, personally, but Kobe shaped his childhood is a massive way. Kobe was somebody who my friend invited into his home weekly, during the hard times as well as the good times. When my friend heard the news yesterday, he told me he felt that part of his childhood died. He knows life will go on, but for now he’s still legit heartbroken, nothing performative about it.
The NBA doesn’t have that same huge emotional pull on me, but I would never tell my friend to “get over himself”. Kobe filled a role in a lot of people’s lives in a way that not many people will ever get the chance to do.