Kobe Bryant Dies With His Daughter in Helicopter Accident, Intended to Practice Basketball and Gave a Message to His Rival the Day Before

Kapanlagi.com - Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter accident on Monday (27/1) early morning. He died with his daughter, Gianna Maria - Onore Bryant, in the tragic accident in Calabasas, California, USA. The number of fatalities in this accident was reported to be five people.

The news of Kobe and Gianna's death was confirmed by Eonline. As reported by TMZ, Kobe and Gianna were heading to the Mamba Academy near Thousand Oaks. The place is a basketball academy owned by Kobe. They were planning to practice together.

A large fire erupted from the helicopter wreckage, making it difficult for the firefighters who were trying to extinguish the fire. The accident location was far from residential areas. However, due to the grassland location, the firefighters had difficulty in responding quickly.

As of now, Kobe's wife, Vanessa Bryant, is not ready to make a public statement as she is still overwhelmed with grief. Kobe leaves behind three other children, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.

1. Info from Eyewitnesses

The cause of the accident is still being investigated by the US civil aviation regulatory agency (FAA). Meanwhile, Tony Imbrenda from the Los Angeles County Fire Department revealed a little bit of the chronology of the incident that he knew.

"In the morning around 10 o'clock, we received a call, getting news that a plane had crashed in Malibu, near Las Vergenes, more precisely in Calabasas," said Tony. "Some residents who were cycling on the hill this morning said they saw a plane in the distance, then it crashed on the hillside."

"The plane they were referring to is a helicopter, and we can conclude that it was an S-76 Sikorsky. Unfortunately, when we arrived, everyone had already perished," he said.

2. Kobe's Tweets

Before the accident, Kobe Bryant tweeted on Twitter. He also congratulated LeBron James for surpassing his record. It is known that LeBron James has scored 33,655 points throughout his NBA career. He is 11 points ahead of Kobe Bryant. "Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother #33644," tweeted Kobe Bryant on his personal Twitter account on January 26, 2020.

3. Kobe Bryant's Achievements

Kobe Bryant © TPG Image

Kobe Bryant is a legend of the LA Lakers. He played for the team from 1996 until his retirement in 2016.

Despite having a height of only 1.98 cm, Kobe Bryant is an agile player. He has won the NBA championship five times with the LA Lakers.

Thanks to his presence, the United States has won two Olympic gold medals in basketball, in 2008 and 2012.

4. NBA Athlete Mourns

The departure of Kobe Bryant has shocked other NBA stars, such as Dallas Mavericks player Luka Doncic. "Please tell me this is not true. It really shakes me," he said on Twitter. "I hope this is not Kobe Bryant, a true man!" added another NBA star, Tristan Thompson.

5. Baseball Athlete Also a Victim?

Until this news came out, it is not known who the other four victims are. Several American media claim that there was also a baseball athlete in the accident. Keep monitoring the continuation of this sad news on KapanLagi.com

(kpl/dka/pit)