Share

NBA great Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash

Los Angeles - NBA legend Kobe Bryant died on Sunday when a helicopter he was riding in crashed and burst into flames in thick fog, killing all nine people on board including his teenage daughter and plunging the sports world into mourning.

Bryant, 41, was travelling with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers and crew when their Sikorsky S-76 helicopter slammed into a rugged hillside in Calabasas, west of Los Angeles. There were no survivors.

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist, is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history, an iconic figure who became one of the faces of his sport during a glittering two-decade career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dozens of firefighters and paramedics battled across steep terrain to reach the flaming wreckage at the crash site but found no survivors, officials said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said an 18-strong team of investigators would be sent to California to probe the causes of the crash.

Bryant's death sent shockwaves throughout the world, with basketball stars stunned by the news.

"Laker Nation, the game of basketball & our city, will never be the same without Kobe," former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson wrote on Twitter.

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan said Bryant was "like a little brother" to him.

"Words can't describe the pain I'm feeling," Jordan said. "We used to talk often and I will miss those conversations very much."

Tributes to Bryant flooded in from former US presidents, pop stars and athletes from different sports, a sign of how the man known as the "Black Mamba" had transcended basketball.

"Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act," former US President Barack Obama wrote on Twitter.

American football star Tom Brady wrote simply: "We miss you already Kobe."

Brazilian soccer star Neymar paid tribute to Bryant after scoring for his French club side Paris Saint-Germain, making the number 24 - Bryant's old shirt number - with his fingers.

At the Staples Centre in downtown Los Angeles, several hundred shocked fans gathered to pay tribute as the venue which witnessed many of Bryant's career highlights hosted the music industry's Grammy Awards.

"This dude is everything to me man. It makes no sense," said distraught Lakers fan Bobby Jimenez, sobbing as he stood outside the venue.

The Grammys got under way with a somber tribute from singer Alicia Keys.

"To be honest with you, we're all feeling crazy sadness right now," Keys told the audience.

"Los Angeles, America and the whole wide world lost a hero. And we're literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built."

Across the NBA, tributes were held at several of the eight games scheduled for Sunday.

Denver Nuggets fans began chants of "Kobe, Kobe" as a minute's silence was held before their game against the Houston Rockets.

In New York, Madison Square Garden was lit up in purple and gold colours of the Lakers, alongside a giant image of Bryant captioned: "Kobe Bryant, 1978-2020."

The crash came only hours after Bryant was passed by current Lakers star LeBron James for third on the all-time NBA scoring list in a Saturday game at Philadelphia.

Bryant's final post on social media had been a tweet congratulating James on surpassing him.

"Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames," Bryant wrote. "Much respect my brother #33644".

Bryant was a five-time NBA champion in a career that began in 1996 straight out of a high school and lasted until his retirement in 2016. 

He also was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, helping spark the US squad of NBA stars to titles in 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London.

Bryant bowed out of the NBA in 2016, scoring 60 points in his final appearance before his adoring fans at the Staples Center.

It was a fairytale farewell to a sporting career which had begun two decades earlier.

The son of former NBA player Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, the Lakers legend was born in Philadelphia in 1978 while his father played for the 76ers.

The elder Bryant played from 1984 to 1991 in Italy, giving young Kobe a global worldview as he grew up dreaming of following his dad into the NBA.

He would eventually join the ranks of professionals at the age of 17, jumping directly into the NBA, only the sixth player and first guard to make such a leap.

At 18, Bryant became, at the time, the youngest player or starter in an NBA game and the youngest winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. 

With Bryant paired alongside Shaquille O'Neal, the Lakers captured three NBA crowns in a row from 2000-2002, returning the team to glory days unseen since 1988.

Bryant's career was almost derailed in 2003 when he was  arrested in Colorado over a sexual assault complaint filed by a 19-year-old hotel employee where Bryant was staying ahead of knee surgery. 

Bryant was accused of rape. He admitted to adultery but said he did not commit rape. The case was dropped in 2004 after the accuser refused to testify in a trial. 

A separate civil suit was settled under terms kept private.

Bryant saw out his career with the Lakers, successfully branching out into the entertainment industry following his retirement. 

In 2018, he won an Oscar for his animated short film "Dear Basketball", a love letter to the sport which brought him fame and fortune.

Factfile on 18-time NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash on Sunday at age 41 after playing his entire 20-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers:

Name: Kobe Bryant

Former Team: Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2016)

Position: Guard

Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Born: August 23, 1978

Died: January 26, 2020

Height: 6-foot-6, 1.98m

Weight: 212lbs, 96kg

- Bryant was the son of Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant, who played eight seasons in the NBA

- Bryant spent eight years of his childhood with his family in Italy

- Bryant married Vanessa Laine, April 18, 2001. Daughter Natalia was born in January, 2003; daughter Gianna was born May, 2006; daughter Bianka was born December, 2016 and daughter Capri was born June, 2019

Awards/career highlights:

- Bryant won five NBA championships - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010

- Named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in leading Lakers to titles in 2009 and 2010

- Earned Olympic gold medals with USA at 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics

- Named NBA regular-season MVP in 2007-08 season and a record-tying four-time NBA All-Star Game MVP - 2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011

- On January 22, 2006 scored a career-high 81 points in Lakers' 122-104 victory over Toronto, second-most points in a game in NBA history

- In 2018, his movie "Dear Basketball" won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

- Selected with 13th overall choice by Charlotte Hornets in 1996 NBA draft, becoming the 27th player to join NBA straight from high school.

- Acquired by Lakers shortly after draft

- Named an NBA All-Star 18 times - 1998 and 2000-2016

- Two-time NBA scoring champion - 2006 and 2007

- 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner 

- Had both his jersey numbers, 8 and 24, retired by the Lakers, an unprecedented move

- Scored 33 643 points, grabbed 7 047 rebounds and passed off 6 306 assists over 1 346 career NBA games

- Scored a season-high 60 points in his last NBA game on April 13, 2016 in a 101-96 Lakers' victory over Utah, becoming the oldest player in NBA history to score 60 points at 37 years and 234 days

Some of the significant injuries that affected Bryant during his career:

- Broken metacarpal bone in right hand, 1999-00 season

- Right index finger laceration, sprained right shoulder, 2003-04

- Severely sprained right ankle, 2004-05

- Index finger avulsion fracture, right knee swelling, sprained left ankle, 2009-10

- Torn left Achilles tendon requiring surgery, 2012-13

- Broken bone in left knee, 2013-14

- Torn right shoulder rotator cuff, 2015

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1140 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1318 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2018 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE