UPDATED STORY: TMZ has more information now, reporting that Bryant’s daughter Gianna was among those killed.
In their update: “Kobe’s daughter Gianna Maria — aka GiGi — was also on board the helicopter and died in the crash … reps for Kobe tell TMZ Sports. She was 13.”
“We’re told they were on their way to the Mamba Academy for a basketball practice when the crash occurred. The Academy is in nearby Thousand Oaks.”
ABC News has reported that one other victim of the helicopter crash was John Altobelli, a baseball coach from Orange County College.
ORIGINAL STORY: In some shocking and tragic news, 5-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant died Sunday morning after the helicopter he was traveling in crash landed in Calabasas, Los Angeles.
TMZ reports that “Kobe was traveling with at least 3 other people in his private helicopter when it went down. A fire broke out. Emergency personnel responded, but nobody on board survived. 5 people are confirmed dead.”
The names of the other victims have not been released at this time. It’s being said though that Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, was not among those on board. Bryant leaves behind his four daughters Gianna, Natalia, Bianca, and Capri (who was born last June).
The news has also been confirmed to Variety.
TMZ also now has some images of up of the photos neighbors took of the crash site up in the mountains, with some saying they “heard the helicopter’s engine sputtering before it went down.”
Bryant’s NBA career spanned 20 years, all of which he spent with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive team and was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2008.
Bryant was also featured on the covers of many NBA games, including his own game, Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside (for N64), its sequel, NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant, along with NBA 2K10 and 2K17’s “Legend Edition.”
A memorial for Bryant has been placed outside of the Los Angeles Staples Center, as seen in video posted to Twitter by Yahoo Sports.
A memorial for Kobe Bryant has been started outside the Staples Center.
(via @Chiney321) pic.twitter.com/DMIezZag9L
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 26, 2020
Fellow NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar posted a heartfelt video tribute to Bryant, saying the loss of Bryant is “hard to comprehend.”
Most people will remember Kobe as the magnificent athlete who inspired a whole generation of basketball players. But I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete. pic.twitter.com/9EZuwk8wrV
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) January 26, 2020
The NBA Players Association has released a statement regarding the death of Bryant.
“We are stunned and devastated by the news of the sudden passing of Kobe Bryant,” the statement said. “Words cannot express his impact on our Players, the NBA and the game of basketball. This is a monumental loss for the entire basketball community and our hearts are quite simply broken. We send love and prayers out to his wife Vanessa and the entire family.”
President Barack Obama also tweeted out his condolences to the Bryant family.
Kobe Bryant was 41.
IGN will update this story with any new information that is released.
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