NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Sunday, January 26th.
Bryant and his daughter were on their way to the 13 year-old’s basketball game. Another player on the team, which Bryant coaches, and her mother and father were also among the nine dead. There were no survivors.
The 18-time All-Star and 5-time NBA champion was active on social media as recently as Saturday night, congratulating current Los Angeles Laker LeBron James on passing him for third place on the all-time scoring list. "I'm happy just to be in any conversation with Kobe Bean Bryant. One of the all-time greatest basketball players to ever play, one of the all-time greatest Lakers, the man got two jerseys hanging up in Staples Center. It's just crazy." James said Saturday night.
Support for Bryant, who many current players idolized growing up, poured in on social media Sunday afternoon.
“The NBA family is devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna.” Commissioner Adam SIlver said in a statement. “There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through with this tragedy… I love you and you will be missed. My condolences go out to the Bryant family…” former teammate Shaquille O’Neal said. “Words can’t describe the pain I’m feeling” Michael Jordan said. “I’m stunned”, “You will be missed”, and, “I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete.” NBA legends, Scottie Pippen, Jason Kidd, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also tweeted. Current All-Star and NBA champion Kyrie Irving did not play Sunday in the Brooklyn Nets game against the Knicks for “personal reasons”. Bryant was considered a mentor to Irving and someone he looked up to for inspiration.
There were eight games played in the NBA Sunday. In every one, both teams agreed to start the game with a 24-second shot clock violation followed by an 8-second backcourt violation, a tribute to Bryant’s two numbers, 24 and 8.
A crowd and memorial quickly gathered outside of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Lakers home stadium.
Bryant won five championships in his 20 years with the Lakers. He was a part of two Olympic gold medal winning teams for the United States and won both a regular season and finals MVP. He won an Academy Award in 2018 for his short film, “Dear Basketball”. This week is the 14th anniversary of his 81-point game, still the second most points ever scored in a single game. He famously scored 60 points in his final game in 2016. He was also known for being a large supporter of women’s basketball, saying his daughter Gianna wanted to eventually go on to play in the WNBA. Kobe and Gianna are survived by their wife and mother Vanessa, and their daughters and sisters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and newborn Capri. They were 41 and 13 years old.
Co-authored by Brendan McColigan
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