Kobe Bryant, Lakers Legend, Dies at 41 in California Helicopter Crash
Legendary Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in California, Sunday. He was 41 years old.
Bryant was among five people traveling by private helicopter over Calabasas, a city located 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. After the chopper went down, a fire broke out, according to TMZ.
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The cause of the crash is under investigation, and reportedly, there were no survivors.
Update: Reps for Bryant tell TMZ Sports that Bryant’s daughter, Gianna Maria Onore, 13, was also on board and died in the crash.
Vanessa Bryant, the basketball star’s wife, was not reported as one of the passengers aboard. He is survived by his wife and his three other daughters Natalia, Bianca, and the couple’s newborn, Capri.
Bryant frequently used a helicopter to travel around California, including the duration of his time with the Lakers.
Bryant was a first-round draft pick out of high school in 1996. He was the 13th pick by the Charlotte Hornets, who later traded him to the Lakers. Bryant stayed with the Lakers for two decades, winning five championships and making 18 all-star games. He won two NBA Finals MVPs and was the league MVP in 2008. Bryant is currently the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history, and the first player to spend 20 seasons with the same franchise.
He retired after the 2016 season. In his final NBA game, the Lakers beat the Utah Jazz, 101-96. Bryant scored 60 points that game, banking 23 of them in the final quarter alone. The team retired both of his jerseys, numbers 8 and 24.
As an actor, he guest-starred on episodes of TV’s Moesha and Bette Midler’s short-lived CBS sitcom Bette (as himself).
In 2018, Bryant won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for Dear Basketball, which was based on a poem he wrote about the sport.
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