MANILA – Former Los Angeles Lakers star
Kobe Bryant’s legacy came to a tragic end on Sunday (Monday morning in Manila)
after getting involved in a helicopter clash in Calabasas, California.
The 41-year old Bryant, a five-time National Basketball Association (NBA)
champion, one-time NBA MVP, two-time NBA Finals MVP and two-time Olympic gold
medalist, was with eight other people, including his daughter Gianna, in his
private chopper, a Sikorsky S-76, when it crashed.
Aside from the Bryants, the helicopter crash also killed Orange Coast College
baseball coach John Altobelli, Altobelli’s wife Keri, Altobelli’s daughter
Alyssa, and four others.
According to reports, Kobe’s Sikorsky
S-76 departed at 9:06 a.m. (PST) on January 26, 2020 from John Wayne Airport in
Orange County in California when it crashed in Calabasas, California, around 48
kilometers northwest of Los Angeles.
The helicopter was heading to a travel basketball game at Kobe’s Mamba Sports
Academy in Thousand Oaks. Kobe was supposed to coach his daughter in a basketball
match.
The former Lakers superstar 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.
Bryant had one of the greatest careers in recent NBA history and became one of
the game’s most popular players as the face of the 16-time NBA champion Lakers
franchise.
Kobe’s partnership Shaquille O’Neal brought three NBA championships to the
Lakers in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He went on to win two more NBA titles in 2009
and 2010 with Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace.
Bryant was a frequent visitor in the Philippines, with his last visit happening
back in June 25, 2016 for the Mamba Mentality Tour. He also played in two
exhibition games in 2011 with other NBA stars facing the PBA All-Stars and
Gilas Pilipinas./PN
