Kobe Bryant: Basketball legend dies in helicopter crash

Bryant, 41, and Gianna, 13, were travelling during a private helicopter when it decreased and burst into flames.

The LA county sheriff said there have been no survivors.

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played for the LA Lakers throughout his career and is taken into account one among the best players within the game’s history.

Tributes from celebrities and fellow sports stars are pouring in, many expressing shock at his overtime .

Moments of silence are observed at basketball games across the US.

Bryant has also been remembered at the Grammy Awards which are being held at the l. a. Lakers’ stadium.

“We’re all feeling crazy sadness immediately ,” said Grammys host Alicia Keys.

“Because earlier today l. a. , America and therefore the whole wide world lost a hero. We’re literally standing here heartbroken within the house that Kobe Bryant built.”

The NBA issued a press release saying it had been “devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna”.

“For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what’s possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning,” it said.

What can we realize the crash?
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the helicopter manifest indicated that nine people were on board when it crashed, raising the amount from five in earlier statements by officials.

In a statement on Sunday afternoon, the town of Calabasas said it heard the news “with great sadness”.

“The aircraft went down during a remote field off Las Virgenes around 10:00 this morning. Nobody on the bottom was hurt,” it added.
Gavin Masak, who lives nearby, told CBS News of the instant the helicopter crashed.

View this post on Instagram

Loss for words right now! The greatest competitor i have ever gone up against and played with. Learned so much from watching you play as a kid. Could never get past you in the playoffs in the west. But had the honor of playing beside you in two Olympics. Can’t believe you are gone. 🙏🏽 for @vanessabryant and their whole family. #mambamentality🐍

A post shared by Deron Williams (@dwill8) on Jan 26, 2020 at 12:16pm PST

“It wasn’t exactly sort of a n explosion sound but it had been like a loud boom. It seemed like a helicopter, but it seemed like a jet, love it was loud, so I went inside and told my dad what was happening. So once I came out I saw smoke on Capitol Hill but it wasn’t sort of a big, black cloud of smoke, it had been just grey,” he said.
Other eyewitnesses told celebrity news site TMZ they heard the helicopter’s engine sputtering before it went down.

The LA County Sheriff’s Department shared pictures from the scene of the accident, showing a fireplace truck and smoke emerging from the hills.
The National Transportation Safety Board identified the crashed helicopter as a Sikorsky S-76B and said it had been sending a team to research the crash.

Police have asked people to remain faraway from the crash site so as to not interfere with the investigation.

Who was Bryant?
Bryant played his entire 20-year career with the l. a. Lakers. He retired in April 2016.

His achievements include being the 2008 NBA most precious Player and two-time NBA Finals MVP. He was also NBA scoring champion twice and a two-time Olympic champion.

He famously scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, the second-highest single-game total in NBA history.

He also won an Oscar for best short animated film in 2018 for Dear Basketball, a five-minute film supported a billet doux to the game he had written in 2015.

Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, have three other daughters, Natalia, Bianca and Capri.

Bryant was accused of sexual abuse in 2003 by a 19-year-old woman performing at a Colorado resort. He denied the allegation, saying the 2 had consensual sex. The case was dropped after the accuser refused to testify in court.

He later apologised, saying he recognised that “she didn’t and doesn’t view this incident an equivalent way I did.” A subsequent lawsuit was settled out of court.

What has the reaction been?
Tributes for the sports star poured in on social media following news of the crash.

Shaquille O’Neal, who played alongside Bryant at the Lakers between 1996 and 2004, said there have been “no words to precise the pain I’m going through”.

“I love you and you’ll be missed,” he wrote on Instagram alongside a photograph of the pair in their Lakers kits.

Deron Williams, who won an Olympic gold alongside Bryant, said he was lost for words. He described Bryant as “the greatest competitor I even have ever gone up against and played with.”
Former basketeer Tony Parker said he was “heartbroken”.

“Terrible news,” tweeted US President Donald Trump.

“He loved his family such a lot , and had such strong passion for the longer term . The loss of his beautiful daughter, Gianna, makes this moment even more devastating.”

Former US President Barack Obama described Bryant as “a legend on the court” and said he was “just getting started in what would are even as meaningful a second act”.

Eight-time Olympic gold medallist sprinter Usain Bolt said he couldn’t believe the news.

Rapper Kanye West tweeted his appreciation for “the life you’ve lived and every one the inspiration you gave”.

Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling wrote “rest easy legend” during a tweet amid a black-and-white photo of the sports star.

“This is completely terrible. most are numb,” American actress and model Chrissy Teigen tweeted.

Pop star Mariah Carey said she was in shock.

Fans gathered at a makeshift memorial for Bryant ahead of the Staples Center sports and entertainment arena in l. a. , laying flowers and basketballs in memory of the star.

This artical take refrence from BBC news