Los Angeles (AP) — Kobe Bryant’s incredible abilities and unwavering competitive spirit inspired a generation of basketball players around the globe.
During his two decades as the fierce soul of the Lakers, he won the immortal admiration of Los Angeles, and he was revered by basketball fans everywhere there was a hoop and a dream, including his other childhood home of Italy and his native Philadelphia.
When his next chapter abruptly ended less than four years after he had retired, Bryant was taking on new challenges and trying to use storytelling and sports to motivate his daughters’ generation.
Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, winning five NBA titles and becoming as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, passed away in a helicopter crash on Sunday. His age was 41.
About thirty miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, in the misty hills above Calabasas, California, happened the crash. The Associated Press was informed by a person with knowledge of the matter that Bryant had passed away, and a different source with knowledge of the case verified the death of Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna.
The two unidentified sources for the AP talked under the condition of anonymity because not many details about the incident had been made public.
According to the authorities, all nine occupants of the chopper were thought to be deceased. No identities were disclosed.
Bryant utilised helicopters frequently to save time and avoid the terrible traffic in Southern California. Bryant lived in coastal Orange County, south of Los Angeles. His playing career ended in 2016, and he took a helicopter to get to training and games. After retiring, he kept using them for his new endeavours, which included a growing entertainment firm that had just created an animated short film that won an Academy Award.
Reactions from Los Angeles and the basketball community were a torrent of hurt and shock. When Bryant is eligible for the first time this year, it is almost a given that he will be chosen to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.