By Matthew Nguyen
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna Bryant, 13, were among nine people killed on Sunday morning in a helicopter crash in the hills of Calabasas, California, according to a report first released by TMZ and later confirmed by Adrian Wojernowski of ESPN.
Bryant was leaving for his daughter Gianna’s basketball game when the helicopter crashed amid foggy conditions. Those aboard the helicopter included one of Gianna’s teammates, a parent, the pilot and four unidentified victims. There were no survivors, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. They also confirmed that an investigation is ongoing.
Bryant was last seen publicly less than 24 hours before the crash in Philadelphia, as he was in attendance when fellow Lakers superstar Lebron James passed him up as the NBA’s third all-time leading scorer. He was last active on social media in an Instagram post congratulating James at 10:39 p.m. ET.
Many in the sports community were left shocked by the news and took to social media to express their grief and sympathy for Bryant and his family.
“Most people will remember Kobe as the magnificent athlete who inspired a whole generation of basketball players,” NBA Hall of Fame inductee Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tweeted. “But I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete.”
Abdul-Jabbar was not the only high-profile basketball figure to comment on Bryant’s passing.
“I’m stunned,” Hall of Fame inductee Scottie Pippen tweeted. “Words can’t even come close to describing it. Just an incredibly sad and tragic day.”
Mourning for Bryant extended beyond basketball as well.
“Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act,” former president Barack Obama tweeted. “To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.”
