Basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, died in a horrific helicopter accident early Sunday afternoon in Calabasas, CA. Among the nine people listed in the flight manifest was Bryants thirteen-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant. They were on their way to a basketball game with another fellow parent and player.
Alex Villanueva of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department held a press conference confirming there were no survivors. They are waiting to release the names of the other individuals on board to properly notify their families.
College baseball coach John Altobelli, who won four titles in 24 years for Orange Coast College, was confirmed to be on the aircraft by his assistant Ron La Ruffa.
Reportedly a witness heard the chopper hovering nearby — accurately recalling the sound as if a plane or helicopter was flying low. He later heard ‘sputtering’ and then a loud ‘boom.’ The witness recalled seeing smoke rising from the hills in front of their home. Another witness thought the chopper was the police and noted he didn’t hear anything strange coming from the engine.
Players across the NBA are in shock over Kobe Bryant’s death.
Los Angeles Laker, LeBron James, just reached the third spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He broke Bryant’s record the night before in a 108-91 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers. James wrote ‘Mamba 4 Life’ on his shoes in gold to pay homage to the 18-time All-Star. Kobe jumped on Twitter to congratulate James on reaching the milestone. The Lakers got news of Bryant’s death while flying back to Los Angeles on the team plane.
Everyone around the world and especially the NBA, is in shock. Former teammate Shaquille O’Neal posted on Instagram expressing the pain of losing a friend and brother and that he’s “SICK RIGHT NOW!”
Kobe leaves behind a wife, Vanessa Bryant, and three daughters, one of which is only seven months old. His father, who also played pro basketball, Joe Bryant, aka “Jellybean,” is also suffering the loss of his son. Bryant was only 41-years-old.
