A helicopter crash in Calabasas, greater Los Angeles, has killed nine people including NBA super star Kobe Bryant. He was 41-years-old.
The LA sheriff’s department confirmed there were no survivors from the crash, which occurred on Sunday morning. The helicopter had taken off from Bryant’s home in Orange County, reports the LA Times.
Bryant is regarded as one of basketball’s all time greats. He spent his entire NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he became a five time NBA champion before his retirement in 2016.
He was twice crowned finals MVP and won the award for the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2008. Bryant made a whopping 18 appearances in the annual all star game and was named in the all-NBA first team 11 times.
His life off the court was not without controversy, however. Bryant was accused of sexual assault by a 19-year-old hotel employee in 2003. He was arrested, but the case was eventually dropped when the accuser refused to testify. A separate civil lawsuit against Bryant was settled privately in 2005.
In 2018, Bryant released the book, The Mamba Mentality: How I Play. The memoir looks at Bryant’s “famously detailed approach and the steps he took to prepare mentally and physically to not just succeed at the game, but to excel.”
He is survived by his wife Vanessa. It is believed that one of their four daughters, Gianna, also died in the crash.
