‘Counting On’: Anna Duggar Mourns Kobe Bryant’s Death, but Does the Family Even Watch Sports?

Anna Duggar took to Twitter to mourn the loss of Kobe Bryant. The former Los Angeles Laker died on Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash that took the lives of eight other people, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. Anna’s tribute, which simply included a retweet and two emojis, however, struck some Duggar family followers as odd. In fact, several are wondering if Anna even knows who Bryant was, as the Duggar family has been pretty outspoken about their desire to abstain from pop culture. So, do the Duggars actually watch sports? It looks like they might.

Anna took to twitter to mourn Kobe Bryant’s death

Anna joined the throngs of twitter users who took to the platform to mourn Bryant’s death. The mother of six shared a retweet from Franklin Graham and added the broken heart emoji and praying hands emoji. For those not in the know, Graham is the president of Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian aid organization. They focus on Christian ministry work. No other Duggars have commented on Bryant’s death, thus far.

Graham’s tweet was posted hours after Bryant’s helicopter went down in the hills of Calabassas, about 45 minutes after takeoff. The aircraft, which was carrying nine individuals, crashed into a hillside in dense fog, according to The Los Angeles Times. No one on board survived the accident. There were no injuries on the ground related to the crash.

Followers don’t think she knows anything about Bryant

Celebrities from around the globe came together to mourn the loss of the basketball great. Everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Alicia Keys has spoken out about their sadness over the loss of the 41-year-old legend. Private citizens have also flocked to pay tribute to Bryant and the victims around the country. Makeshift memorials have been erected in Los Angeles, as well as in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, where Bryant attended high school. Mark Cuban also announced that the Dallas Mavericks would retire Bryant’s number.

Anna seemed like an odd addition to the list of celebrities mourning the loss. Reddit users are pretty sure she doesn’t even know who Bryant was, and they seem to think the Duggars aren’t fans of professional basketball. At the very least, the family has never been spied taking in a game, nor have they ever mentioned an affinity for the sport.  

The Duggars do appear to watch some sports  

While the Duggar family grew up without a television in their home, it would appear that the family follows sports, at least on a surface level. Their interest in athletics seems to be pretty focused on football and soccer, though. Over the years, they’ve taken in college football games and even soccer games. Basketball, however, doesn’t seem to be on their radar.

Jill Duggar, for example, has added snapshots to her Instagram page regarding college football. Her husband, Derick Dillard, attended Oklahoma State University and reportedly served as the college mascot during his time there.  The couple regularly cheers the team on, it would seem.

Jim Bob Duggar was pictured on the family’s Instagram page taking in an Arkansas Razorback’s game with several of his younger children. The family has also been captured wearing Razorback tee-shirts and other apparel. How deep their interest goes, however, is anyone’s guess.

Jeremy Vuolo is the most sports-oriented member of the family. Before marrying Jinger Duggar, Jeremy played professional soccer and is seemingly interested in getting his family involved in his interest. Jeremy, Jinger and their daughter, Felicity, have taken in a few soccer games now that they live in Los Angeles. While they now live in California, neither have ever mentioned the Lakers or Bryant.

None of the Duggars have ever mentioned an interest in basketball, come to think of it. The lack of basketball snapshots likely lends some credence to the notion that Anna knows very little if anything about Bryant’s illustrious career. Several followers, however, did point out that most people, regardless of their familiarity with professional basketball, know who Bryant was. His star power was not confined to the basketball world, and post-retirement he was making moves to improve the world around him.