Kobe Bryant: Latest News and Update

The Los Angeles Lakers icon and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Sunday in Calabasas, California.

An investigation on that crash brought into light that all the nine passengers on the helicopter were killed, including Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. The investigation is still going on.

The following points have been confirmed so far regarding the death:

1. A Sikorsky S76B helicopter crashed just before 10 AM in Calabasas, California.
2. Bryant and his daughter were on their way to the Mamba sports academy located in Thousand Oaks, California, for a basketball event.
3. The helicopter carrying Bryant and Gianna was given special permission to fly on that day despite the foggy environment. According to a report in the New York Times, the chopper was flying quite low due to the critical environmental conditions. According to CNN, at one point, the controller sent a message to the pilot saying, “You’re still too low for flight following at this point.” This means that the flight was flying low enough to not be on the range of the radar.
4. Along with Bryant and Gianna, seven more deaths were confirmed, and there were no survivors.
5. All nine victims have been identified.
6. One more name which came forward was John Altobelli, a champion basketball coach at Orange Coast College, his wife Keri, and daughter Alyssa.
7. Other victims of the crash are Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, and Ara Zobayan.
8. A bushfire caused by the crash delayed the first responders from reaching the location.
9. A black box was not present in the helicopter, since having one wasn’t a requirement.
10. The pilot of the helicopter had 8,200 hours of flight time, according to the records submitted in July 2019. Further reports of investigation about the pilot and crew is on track.
11. The helicopter circled Glendale for 14 minutes after the takeoff. The pilot proceeded to go into clouds before taking a sharp turn and hitting the ground.
12. A statement was issued by Los Angeles County Fire Chief, Daryl Osby, “The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s first response was 15 pieces of equipment and 56 personnel”. He further added, “At 9:47 AM, the Los Angeles County Fire Department received a 911 call of a potential helicopter down and bush-fire. Upon arrival, our firefighters discovered approximately a quarter-acre brush fire that resulted from a crash on the hillside.
13. According to the reports, The Sikorsky S76B helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant did not have the recommended safety device even though it seems unclear if that device would have prevented the fatal accident.

Bryant was one of the biggest NBA stars of all time. Let’s take a look at his achievements in the field.

1. He spent 20 seasons in the NBA and all of them with the Lakers. 2. With 33,643, he was the third-leading scorer in NBA history. 3. Five times NBA champion and twice named as final MVP. 4. 18-time all-star 5. 11-times all NBA first team 6. Nine-time NBA all-defensive first team 7. Two times Olympic gold medalist 8. The youngest player in NBA history at the time of his debut in 1996.

The whole world is traumatized by the sudden death of the basketball star.