Kobe Bryant’s Daughter Gianna, 13, Dead Alongside Father in Calabasas Helicopter Crash The NBA legend and his daughter were both onboard the private helicopter

The NBA legend and his daughter were both onboard the private helicopter

Breaking news!!! KOBE BRYANT DIED IN HELICOPTER CRASHED 😭😭
😭😭😭
Kobe Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. He was 41.

Emergency crews responded after a helicopter crashed and sparked a small brush fire Sunday in Southern California, authorities said. The crash occurred in Calabasas, said Art Marrujo, a dispatch supervisor with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

It was unclear if Bryant’s family members were on the helicopter but some reports say his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Maria was on-board and is also feared dead.

The crash happened around 10 a.m. near about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said it was a Sikorsky S-76 and it was not known what caused the crash. The LA County Sheriff’s Department confirmed five dead in the crash, but had not released identities.

Bryant lived south of Los Angeles in coastal Orange County for much of his adult life, and he often used helicopters to save time and avoid Southern California’s notorious traffic. Even as a player, he often travelled to practices and games by helicopter, and he kept up the practice after retirement as he attended to his business ventures.

Colin Storm was in his living room in Calabasas when he heard “what sounded like a low-flying airplane or helicopter.”

“It was very foggy so we couldn’t see anything,” he said. “But then we heard some sputtering, and then a boom.”

A short time later the fog cleared a bit and Storm could see smoke rising from the hillside in front of his home.

Bryant retired in 2016 as the third-leading scorer in NBA history, finishing two decades with the Lakers as a prolific scorer with a sublime all-around game and a relentless competitive ethic. He held that spot in the league scoring ranks until Saturday night, when the Lakers’ LeBron James passed him for third place during a game in Philadelphia, Bryant’s hometown.

“Continuing to move the game forward (at)KingJames,” Bryant wrote in his last tweet. “Much respect my brother.”