2020 has not been going well so far. This is definitely not how we hope to start in 2020. From WW3, Corona Virus, Australia’s fire and now the death of one of the most popular figures in history. Kobe Bryant including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash.
The retired Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna were killed on January 26, 2020. The helicopter they were traveling in crashed in the middle of foggy conditions. It happened in the hills above Calabasas, California, United States. Including the nine people killed in the crash, Kobe and Gianna are two of them.
BASKETBALL SUPERSTAR
Kobe Bryant was an American professional basketball player. Bryant played his entire 20-season career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He won five NBA championships when he directly entered NBA from high school. Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team.
He was a 12-time member of the All-Defensive team, and the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. At 34 years of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points.
Bryant was the son of former NBA player Joe Bryant born on August 23, 1978. His wife’s name is Vanessa Laine Bryant. They had four children Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, Natalia Diamante Bryant, Bianka Bella Bryant, Capri Kobe Bryant.
THE TIME OF CRASH
On the morning of January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter crashed. The helicopter was carrying one pilot and eight passengers, including professional basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
Sikorsky S-76B crashed in Calabasas, California, around 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles. The crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m. near Las Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street in Calabasas.
Bryant and his daughter were on their way to an academy where he coached her team.
The academy was hosting the Mamba Cup Tournament Series. It was a series of tournaments for boys and girls basketball teams from the third through eighth grades. All the games were canceled after the news of Bryant’s death became public.
Outside the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, Calif., fans laid flowers. They also lit candles at an impromptu memorial for their star. The gym had handwritten signs on the door: Closed. A few dozen people, adults of all ages, stood huddled in silence.
They stood around the memorial of several jerseys, candles, dozens of bouquets, Sports Illustrated magazines with Bryant on the cover. It also had a Lakers flag.
The crash was more likely caused by bad weather than engine or mechanical issues said by Kurt Deetz. Kurt is a former pilot for Island Express Helicopters who used to fly Bryant in the chopper. The authorities said it could take several days to recover the bodies from the crash site.
