NBA legendary player Kobe Bryant is dead. The basketball player was 41 years old.
TMZ Sports has reported that Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on a hillside in Calabasas, California, Sunday Morning.
Kobe Bryant was traveling with at least 3 other people in his private helicopter when it went down. His daughter, Gianna Maria was on board the helicopter and died in the crash.
A fire broke out. Emergency personnel responded, but nobody on board survived. 5 people are confirmed dead. We’re told Vanessa Bryant was not among those on board.
Eyewitnesses also tell us that they heard the helicopter’s engine sputtering before it went down. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Bryant starred for two decades with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five championships and making 18 All-Star Games before hanging up his basketball shoes following the 2016 season.
The Lakers famously retired both of Kobe’s jerseys, number 8 and 24. The only player in team history to receive that honor.
The stunning death of the sweet-shooting guard came just hours after he toasted fellow NBA icon and current Laker LeBron James for passing him for third place on the league’s all-time scoring list.
In 2010, GQ magazine wrote about how Bryant regularly took his own helicopter to work:
“He takes a private helicopter from Orange County, where he lives… to every home game. It’s a nice dash of glitz, a touch of showbiz… But Bryant says the helicopter is just another tool for maintaining his body. It’s no different than his weights or his whirlpool tubs or his custom-made Nikes. Given his broken finger, his fragile knees, his sore back, and achy feet, not to mention his chronic agita, Bryant can’t sit in a car for two hours.” The helicopter “Ensures that he gets to staples center feeling fresh, that his body is warm and loose and fluid as mercury when he steps onto the court.”
