In 2013 my college team, the California Golden Bears, made it to the final four of the national championship. One day in the locker room our coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, told us there was a surprise. She projected a grainy cellphone video of a personal message from Kobe Bryant wishing us luck. We lost to Louisville in the semifinal, but Kobe’s belief in us stuck.

I grew up watching him play for the Los Angeles Lakers, and I learned to mimic his moves on the court. He perfected the jab step, pump fake, Euro step, up and unders and pivots. His game was technical — he was an athletic freak of nature, sure, but he was a thinker of the game, and so cerebral.

Kobe could score against people a half-foot taller than he. That mattered to me. Most women aren’t 6-foot-6 and up. But we could watch Kobe and do what he did. His style and discipline translate no matter your size — and no matter your gender. It’s about how you pivot, how you move your shoulders, your position against your defender. Your patience. Your first step.

This is where his thumbprint is squarely over the W.N.B.A. — in our technique and how we approach the sport. A basketball rim is 10 feet above the ground. While many of us can go above the rim, we’re not 6 foot 10 inches tall like Anthony Davis or even 6 foot 8 inches tall like LeBron James. We don’t have a safety net of size. Kobe’s game was the same — he didn’t use a safety net.