The 18-time NBA All-Star is widely considered to be one of the greatest scorers of all time alongside champions such as Michael Jordan.

Port Macquarie Dolphins coach Mark Champion said the response has been overwhelming around the world, including in the Mid North Coast basketball community.

"I think it has had a really big impact. There's a whole generation of people who looked up to Kobe as an inspiration in basketball," he said.

"It's going to have a huge impact all players but especially coaches or leading players of that generation who are influencing other young kids.

"He had a mentality about being a champion and not settling for being talented. His whole life was about what do I have to do today to make myself better than I was yesterday.

"As a coach that's the mentality that we want everyone to have and so we use people like him as inspiration or motivation."

Mr Champion said he issues training plans to players before each workout session during his coaching.

"That training plan would have a quote from a famous player about their view of the game and I would say Kobe Byrant would make those quotes quite often," he said.

"I was saying to my own kids that he's one of those one word superstars, you don't need to know how to play basketball to know who Kobe is."

Bryant was originally from Philadelphia and was drafted into the Charlotte Hornets out of Lower Merion High School in 1996.

He started a 20 year career at the Lakers after being traded, was voted the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2008 and won two gold medals with the USA Men's Basketball team in 2008, 2012.

He retired from the NBA in April, 2016.

READ MORE: Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash

Eight other people were reportedly killed in the helicopter accident including Bryant's 13-year-old daughter Gianna.

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