Bryant was, in fact, a major international celebrity. He was among the most popular players in a sport with global reach - his jersey was the highest-selling for many years - and represented the US in 2 Olympic gold medal runs, including when the games were hosted by the nation that represents the largest market for basketball outside the US (China).

I suspect, as is common in the tech and venture capital scene worldwide, his race had something to do with the appraisal a limited number of influential people on HN had of him. What's important to me is that people in this community start to recognize the blindspots and, in unfortunate cases, biases which contribute to the schism between the makers and the people whose lives their creations are supposed to be making better. Step one would be taking this criticism seriously and with humility.