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Former NBA player Kobe Bryant has died following a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA. The Los Angeles Times reported that a helicopter crashed into a hillside above the city of Calabasas on Sunday morning, resulting in multiple fatalities. TMZ was the first to confirm Bryant was on board and one of several passengers who were killed. Bryant was 41.

The crash occurred just before 10 a.m. PT amid foggy conditions. A resulting brushfire made it difficult for emergency personnel to get to the craft. Four others on board also died, the Los Angeles Times reports. Refinery29 reached out to Bryant’s representative for comment.

Bryant joined the NBA straight out of high school in 1996. He held the record as the youngest NBA player to start a game in 1997 and for the second highest number of points scored in a game in NBA history in 2006. In his career, Bryant was a member of five NBA championship winning teams, won two Olympic gold medals, and was on the NBA All-Star team 17 times. Bryant passed a record held by Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time scoring list in 2014.

Bryant retired from basketball in 2016. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called him “one of the greatest players in the history of our game.”

His goodbye letter to the sport, “Dear Basketball,” became a short animated film for which Bryant won an Oscar in 2018.

Bryant’s life wasn’t without scandal. In 2003, he was charged with sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman who worked in a Colorado hotel. He denied the accusation and the case was eventually dropped when his accuser refused to testify against him in court.

Bryant founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation, along with his wife, in 2007. The foundation’s stated goal is to “provide young people with life-changing experiences designed to broaden their global perspectives.” Through it, the foundation has funded youth scholarships, youth sports organizations, and organizations fighting youth homelessness. Bryant also hosted a yearly youth summer basketball camp.

Following his retirement from professional basketball, Bryant started a venture capital fund called Bryant Stibel in 2016 with a co-investor. The duo aimed to invest in technology, media, and data companies.

“If you would have asked me 10 years ago, I would say I need to win now,” Bryant told the Wall Street Journal about his second career. “Age tends to give you …read more

Source:: Refinery29

Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players in professional history and most popular athlete of the last several decades, was killed on Sunday in a private helicopter crash.

He was 41 years old.

TMZ was the first outlet to report this stunning and tragic news, but it has since been confirmed by a local ABC affiliated, among other publications.

With details still coming in, this is what we know at the moment:

The accident took place in Calabasas, California.

Kobe was one of five passengers on board.

All four are believed to have been killed.

Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, was NOT among these passengers and neither were any of the couple’s four children.

According to TMZ, per onlookers close to the scene, the vehicle’s engine sputtered loudly before fell to the ground… at which time a fire broke out and authorities were called to the scene.

But there were no survivors.

Bryant is considered one of the greatest NBA players in history.

He made 18 All-Star teams during his 20 year career, all of which were spent with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He was a first-round pick in the 1996 draft, winning five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVPs — and he was the league MVP in 2008.

Kobe was just in the news on Saturday night, too, because LeBron James passed him for third place on the league’s all-time scoring list, prompting a congratulatory Tweet from Bryant and effusive praise in his direction from LeBron.

“Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames,” wrote Bryant on Saturday night in what would prove to be his final tweet. “Much respect my brother.”

Bryant concluded the message with an emoji of a bicep flexing, and the hashtag “#33644,” one point more than he scored in his legendary career.

Among other professional accolades:

Bryant was considered a lock to be among the next class inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, set to be announced next month, and once scored 81 points in a game… the second-most ever by one player in one contest.

The Lakers famously retired both of Kobe’s jerseys, number 8 and 24 … the only player in team history to receive such an honor.

He even won an Academy Award in 2018 for his short film, “Dear Basketball.”

Bryant also made 15 All-NBA Teams, 12 All-Defensive Teams and led the league in scoring for two seasons.

As the truly shocking news of his death has spread around the Internet, an endless array of celebrities and …read more

Source:: The Hollywood Gossip

Kobe Bryant was traveling in a private helicopter when it crashed. It is reported that he did not survive the wreckage.

The basketball legend and father of four was 41 years old.

TMZ reports that Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash.

On the morning of Sunday, January 26, the basketball legend was in the air in Calabasas.

He was not alone on the private helicopter. TMZ reports that there were at least three others traveling with him.

Emergency responders raced to the scene of the crash, but found no survivors.

Five people are now believed to be dead from the crash.

TMZ reports that a fire broke out at the crash site.

Though it was initially unclear, we now know that the helicopter was leaving a trail of smoke before it crashed.

Vanessa Bryant was reportedly not onboard.

Investigators are of course looking into the cause of the tragic crash.

Being that this crash occurred just a short time ago, further information will be forthcoming within the coming days and weeks.

For now, from what little eyewtiness information is available, we know that the helicopter made some sort of sputtering noise before the crash.

Crash experts, engineers, and forensic teams will look over the site of the crash to determine exactly how this went down.

He is survived by her and their four daughters: Gianna, Natalia, and Bianca, and Capri.

Capri is still a newborn, having been born in June 2019, compounding the tragedy of this unthinkable loss.

Meanwhile, his daughter Gianna is considered a rising star within the basketball world.

Kobe is a household name. Beyond his basketball accomplishments, he is also a recent Academy Award winner.

Kobe has traveled by helicopter countless times.

He preferred to make the communte from Newport Beach, CA to the STAPLES Center in downtown Los Angeles in his private Sikorsky S-76.

For years, he has been known for his preference for flying.

We do not yet know what went wrong.

Fans are of course in shock. Kobe is one of the best known professional athletes in the world, his name easily recognized outside of the sports world.

But even as NBA fans grieve, they are very aware that no one is feeling this loss more acutely than those who knew and loved him best.

Right now, his family is in shock. In time, each loved one will experience and process this tragedy in their own way.

We of course will keep Kobe’s loved ones in our thoughts at this …read more

Source:: The Hollywood Gossip