Kobe Bryant Died Early Sunday Morning
Kobe Bryant, the 41-year-old NBA superstar, died in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning in California. TMZ reports that Bryant and eight other people—including the pilot—were in a helicopter that went down in Calabasas, just north of Los Angeles. There were no survivors. ABC7 in southern California and Variety have also confirmed the incident. The L.A. Times reports that one of the other eight casualties of the crash was Kobe Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
Bryant was a five-time NBA champion and played on 18 All Stars teams. He spent his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he is the franchise leader in points, free throws, three-pointers, and many other superlatives. He appeared on the cover of GQ four times, most recently in 2015. In 2018 he won an Oscar for his animated short film, "Dear Basketball."
He is survived by his wife, Vanessa Bryant, and three children.
Updated 5:00 pm to include additional reporting from the L.A. Times.
Updated 5:47 pm to amend the number of victims, as per L.A. Times reporting.
Sports
He’s old, he’s wise, he’s as ferocious as ever. And in this final phase of his brilliant, checkered, championship-laden career, the man who once called himself "the Valentino of the NBA" has been running his mouth like never before. This interview—the last one he gave before his season-ending injury in late January—was no exception.
Originally Appeared on GQ
