Kobe Bryant, National Basketball Association (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers superstar has died on Sunday in a helicopter crash.
Officials confirmed to TMZ – who broke the story- that Bryant, 41, was a passenger on board a helicopter that crashed in the Los Angeles County suburb of Calabasas.
Kobe was traveling with at least 3 other people in his private helicopter when it went down.
It was reported that a fire broke out and emergency personnel responded, but nobody on board survived.
5 people have been confirmed dead, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Maria Onore — aka GiGi who was also on board.
According to TMZ,
We’re told they were on their way to the Mamba Academy for a basketball practice when the crash occurred. The Academy is in nearby Thousand Oaks.
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An 18-time NBA All-Star, Bryant was considered to be one of the greatest basketball players of all-time.
He is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and three daughters – Natalia and Bianca and Capri.
It would be recalled that earlier today, Late Bryant sent out a congratulatory message to LeBron James for surpassing his record, to become third on all-time scoring list.
The star poularly known as “The Black Mamba” gave the shoutout through his official Twitter handle, saying:
Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother.
Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother 💪🏾 #33644
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 26, 2020
James passed Bryant’s career total of 33,643 points during the Lakers’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
James is now third behind Karl Malone (36,928) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38387).
