A helicopter crash in Los Angeles killed nine people and NBA Legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter were among them. Bryant was 41 when he died.
The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashed at around 10 am near Calabasas. There were no exact reason immediately available as to what caused the crash. The investigation is in process to ascertain the reason. He along with his daughter, Gianna who was 13 year old were part of the onboard passengers.
Kobe Bean Bryant was born in Philadelphia in 1978. He, however, was brought up in Italy where his father played professional basketball. He went on to become a part of the NBA team in 1996 when he was 17 years old. He was even given a nickname – Black Mamba. That was in tune with his competitive and fierce gameplay.
He was one of the greatest players in the history of NBA and went on to win three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Later on, he won two more in 2009 and 2010. He was also the fourth-best scorer in the history of NBA. That would explain why he was chosen as the all-star 18 times and was crowned MVP in 2008.
He had retired in 2016 from the active game and was one of the nominees for the 2020 Hall of Fame of NBA. “Kobe was so much more than an athlete, he was a family man. That was what we had most in common. I would hug his children like they were my own and he would embrace my kids like they were his,” said Shaquille O’Neal – who had played with Bryant and had partnered with him in three wins.
He and his wife, Vanessa, have three other daughters: Natalia Diamante, 17; Bianka Bella, 3; and Cari Kobe born in 2018.