NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, are being lauded today following the helicopter crash near Los Angeles on Sunday morning that claimed their lives.
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Poor weather conditions and low visibility in heavy fog are said to be the cause of the fiery helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and 7 others. Now, his untimely death has spurred celebrations of his life from coast to coast.
In 1996, Kobe Bean Bryant became the youngest player to join the NBA when he entered the league at the age of 17. Although originally drafted by Charlotte, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers where he played the entirety of his professional career until retirement in 2016. However, Kobe Bryant was more than just a basketball player. He was an icon, a brand, a husband, a father, a friend — which is evident from the scores of expressions of sympathy that followed the news of his tragic death.
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The New York Knicks lit up the exterior of Madison Square Garden on Sunday with Lakers purple and gold in honor of Kobe. Additionally, the Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets each took a 24-second shot clock violation at the beginning of their game in tribute to Kobe’s #24.
Nets star Kyrie Irving left the Sunday game and did not return to the floor after hearing news of the death of his friend and mentor. Several active NBA stars played through scheduled games with tears in their eyes.
Others took to social media with thoughts and tributes.
“For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning. He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share with future generations of players,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement on Sunday.
Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 26, 2020
“There’s no words to express the pain I’m going through with this tragedy of losing my niece Gigi & my brother @kobebryant,” tweeted former teammate Shaquille O’Neil. “I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW,” Shaq added.
“I am in shock over the tragic news of Kobe’s and Gianna’s passing,” Michael Jordan said in a statement. “Words can’t describe the pain I’m feeling. I loved Kobe – he was like a little brother to me.
“We used to talk often and I will miss those conversations very much. He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force,” Jordan continued. “Kobe was also an amazing dad who loved his family deeply – and took great pride in his daughter’s love for the game of basketball.”
“Kobe Bryant is gone,” wrote LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke.
“I’m screaming right now, cursing into the sky, crying into my keyboard, and I don’t care who knows it.
“Kobe Bryant is gone, and those are the hardest words I’ve ever had to write for this newspaper, and I still don’t believe them as I’m writing them. I’m still crying, and go ahead, let it out. Don’t be embarrassed, cry with me, weep and wail and shout into the streets, fill a suddenly empty Los Angeles with your pain.
“No. No. No, damn it, no!” he added.
As of this writing, police still have yet to release the names of additional passengers onboard Kobe’s private helicopter (pending proper identification by the coroner and notification of next of kin). However, authorities did confirm that all passengers were killed.
Kobe Bryant was 41. Gianna Bryant, who played basketball in the image of her father, was 13.
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I am on my way to the airport this morning so let me make this quick. I knew DJ was going to have this story today. Let me say I am a fan of all sports but basketball is what I played in school and what I watch all the time. I grew up on the game of Michael Jordan plus I am old enough to remember when Kobe came into the game and won all those championships with Shaq. This is devastating news especially his little daughter died with him. They said the weather was so bad it makes no sense why this helicopter was flying in that mess at all. I am feeling a lot of sadness today for Vanessa Bryant who loss her husband and her little girl. May Kobe Gigi and the rest of the people who died RIP.