Kobe Bryant and his second-oldest daughter Gianna were among nine people aboard a private helicopter flight Sunday morning that crashed northwest of Los Angeles in Calabasas, California. The group was reportedly on the way to a basketball game Gianna’s team was playing in. There were no survivors, and the cause of the crash is unknown, but a federal investigation is underway. The crash came just one day after James surpassed Bryant to become the NBA’s third-highest scorer of all time. Kobe’s last Twitter post was him congratulating LeBron James on the accomplishment.
LeBron and his teammates, as well as Lakers coaches, found out about Kobe’s death while on the team’s private jet flying back to L.A. from their game in Philadelphia the night before. After the plane landed, a visibly emotional James was seen in news camera footage wiping tears from his eyes as he walked off the tarmac. LeBron James Tributes Kobe Bryant & “My Niece GiGi” in Emotional Instagram Post, Promises to Continue Kobe’s Legacy is a post from: Gossip On This - Pop Culture, News & VideosContinuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother ?? #33644
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 26, 2020