Former Lakers basketball player Kobe Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas early Sunday morning, according to local authorities.
Bryant and his daughter, along with other team members, were on their way to a basketball game when the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter malfunctioned.
With a total of nine people on the flight, no one survived the tragic crash. Reports confirm that Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter, Alyssa, were also victims in the crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the the accident.
Kobe Bryant was being considered for the 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame. During his 20-year career, he won MVP in regular-season 2008 and in NBA Finals 2009 and 2010. He scored 33,643 points, making him fourth on the list of NBA’s All-Time Scoring list.
After retiring in 2016 as a five-time NBA champion, he won an Oscar for his animated short Dear Basketball.
Bryant leaves behind his wife of 19 years, Vanessa Bryant, and three children, with his youngest being 7 months old.
The NBA Players Association released a statement.
“Words cannot express his impact on our Players, the NBA and the game of basketball. This is a monumental loss for the entire basketball community and our hearts are quite simply broken. We send love and prayers out to his wife Vanessa and the entire family.”
Many fans and friends gathered around the Staples Center in Los Angeles to honor the Black Mamba’s legacy.
There’s also a memorial of the NBA legend lighting up Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Many left tributes on social media.
