National Basketball Association star, Kobe Bryant died on Sunday morning, January 26, in a helicopter crash
in Calabasas, California.
Bryant was said to be traveling with at least three other people in his private helicopter when it burst into flames and went down.
Immediately after the crash, a fire broke and despite emergency response, nobody survived as all the five people on board were confirmed dead.
Bryant’ wife, Vanessa was however in not among the victims, just as the of the accident is yet to be ascertained.
Bryant has been known to travel by helicopter for many years, dating to his playing years as a Los Angeles Lakers’ player, commuting from Newport Beach, CA to the STAPLES Center in DTLA in his Sikorsky S-76 chopper.
He is survived by his wife Vanessa, and their four daughters – Gianna, Natalia and Bianca and their newborn Capri, born in June 2019.
Bryant, who was recently at NBA games with his daughter, who has is a rising NBA star, is widely considered as one of NBA’s greatest players of all time, making 18 All-Star teams in his career spanning 20 years.
A first-round pick in the 1996 draft, Bryant won five NBA championships; two NBA Finals MVPs and the league’s MVP in 2008. He retired in April, 2016
His two jerseys, numbers 8 and 24, were retired by the Lakers, and he remained the only player in the NBA history to be bestowed with such honour.
Apart from the accolades he won as a basketball player, he also won an Oscar for his 2018 film, ‘Dear Basketball’ in 2018
