In a helicopter crash on a secluded, steep hillside in Southern California on Sunday, 13-year-old daughter, and seven other people perished. unexpected death at the age of 41 sparked a wave of mourning for a figure whose fame went beyond sports.
The helicopter crashed near Calabasas, which is roughly thirty miles northwest of Los Angeles’ city center. After putting the death toll at five earlier, authorities announced that nine people died, leaving no survivors. The Los Angeles Lakers were home to NBA legend for his whole 20-year career. An individual with knowledge of the incident told The Associated Press that Legend was one of the victims.
Another individual with knowledge of the case attested to the fact that Gianna, The 13-year-old daughter, was also murdered.
At a press conference, Villanueva prayed for their souls.
The sports and entertainment industries were rocked by the unexpected death of Bryant, and many expressed their shock, dismay, and disbelief on Twitter.
“There’s no words to express the pain Im going through,” tweeted Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal, who won three NBA titles with Bryant. “I love you, @kobebryant, and I will miss you. I’m sick right now.”
Similar opinions were voiced by retired NBA great Michael Jordan, to whom Bryant was frequently compared.
Words cannot express the anguish I am experiencing. I adored Kobe; to me, he was like a younger brother,” Jordan stated in a release. We used to speak frequently, and I shall really miss our exchanges. He was a creative force, a ferocious competitor, and one of the greats of the game.”
When the news broke, the NBA continued with business as usual. However, in observance of Bryant, who played the second part of his career wearing No. 24, the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors both chose to start their games with voluntary 24-second shot clock violations.
The Lakers, who are currently leading the Western Conference, play the Clippers on Tuesday night. However, on Sunday, hundreds of fans, many of whom were wearing Bryant jerseys and Lakers gear, spontaneously gathered at Staples Center and the surrounding LA Live entertainment complex, where they wept openly and gazed at video boards featuring Bryant’s image.
Joel Embiid, the standout player for the Philadelphia 76ers, tweeted, “Man, I don’t even know where to start.” “After watching the 2010 finals, I became interested in playing ball because of KOBE.” That finals was the first time I had ever watched ball, and it was the moment that changed my life. I desired to resemble Kobe. I’m crying so much right now!
Bryant retired in 2016 as the third-leading scorer in NBA history, ending two decades with the Lakers as a prolific scorer with a magnificent all-around game and a ferocious competitive mentality. Up until Saturday night, when the Lakers’ LeBron James overtook him for third place during a game in Bryant’s hometown of Philadelphia, he maintained that position in the league scoring rankings.
In his most recent tweet, Bryant stated, “@KingJames, keep moving the game forward.” “Regard, my brother.”
Bryant had one of the finest careers in recent NBA history and became one of the game’s most popular players as the face of the 16-time NBA champion Lakers organization. In addition to winning two NBA scoring titles and being named to the All-Defensive teams twelve times, he was named the league MVP in 2008.
In a dynamic duo with Shaquille O’Neal, he helped the Lakers win NBA titles in 2000, 2001, and 2002. Later, in 2009 and 2010, he won two more titles in a partnership with Pau Gasol.
In his last NBA game, Bryant scored 60 points, which led to his retirement in 2016.
“Kobe Bryant was a titan who, in addition to inspiring, thrilling, and surprising everyone with his unmatched skill on the court, also astounded us with his intelligence and humility as a husband, father, creative genius, and representative of the sport he loved.” According to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, “He will live forever in the heart of Los Angeles and will be remembered through the ages as one of our greatest heroes.”
As soon as the news of Bryant’s passing started to circulate, President Trump responded via tweet, saying, “That is terrible news!”
Colin Storm noticed “what sounded like a low-flying airplane or helicopter” as he was in his Calabasas living room.
“We were unable to see anything because of the heavy fog,” he stated. “But after that, there was a boom and some sputtering.”
A little while later, the fog lifted enough for Storm to see smoke rising from the hillside in front of his house.
Calabasas resident Juan Bonilla said he heard a helicopter flying low over his roof early on Sunday morning while he was working on it. He claimed to have believed it to be a sheriff’s helicopter on a training assignment. He claimed he saw no technical problems with the helicopter and that he heard nothing strange coming from the rotors or engine. Although it was cloudy on Sunday morning, he claimed that visibility wasn’t particularly poor when the collision occurred.
An acre of dry brush caught fire, and firefighters battled to put it out, according to Art Marrujo, a dispatch supervisor with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Bryant spent the most of his adult life in coastal Orange County, south of Los Angeles, and frequently utilized helicopters to avoid the terrible traffic in Southern California and save time. He frequently took a helicopter to get to practices and games even while he was a player, and he continued this habit after retiring to focus on his business endeavors.
The collision happened a few miles from Bryant’s basketball training facility, Mamba Sports Academy, located in Thousand Oaks, California. After retiring, Bryant—who was married to Vanessa and had four daughters—dedicated his time to advancing women’s athletics.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Allen Kenitzer said the wrecked chopper was a Sikorsky S-76.
