Kobe Bryant: LA Lakers and NBA great dies in helicopter crash aged 41

Summary

US basketball great Kobe Bryant dies aged 41 in a helicopter crash
Bryant's daughter Gianna also dies
Bryant was regarded as one of the greatest NBA players of all time
A five-time NBA champion with the LA Lakers
A two-time Olympic champion
Retired in 2016 after 20 seasons with the Lakers

Live Reporting

Callum Matthews

Bryant's daughter Gianna one of the fatalities - NBA confirmspublished at 22:29 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
Breaking
The NBA have released the following statement confirming that Kobe Bryant's 13-year-old daughter Gianna was on the helicopter with her dad and has also sadly passed away.
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'No real words to convey my sadness'published at 22:24 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
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'The world of sport has lost a true legend'published at 22:21 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
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'My heart is heavy'published at 22:18 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
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Bryant's career in numberspublished at 22:15 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
5 - the number of NBA championships Bryant won.
16 - the number of times Bryant played on Christmas Day.
5,640 - the number of points Bryant scored in the NBA playoffs is the fourth highest total in NBA history behind James (6,911), Jordan (5,987) and Abdul-Jabbar (5,762).
48,637 - minutes played is the eighth-highest total in the NBA
Read more here.
'One of the greatest athletes of his generation'published at 22:12 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
During his career Bryant was part of the Nike family and the sports brand have released the following statement.
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'A true sporting icon'published at 22:10 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
Premier League champions Manchester City have tweeted their tribute to Bryant, saying he "transcended the sport of basketball".
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What we know so farpublished at 22:08 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
Basketball legend Kobe Bryant has passed away in a helicopter crash in California.
Bryant, 41, was travelling in a private helicopter when it crashed and burst into flames, according to reports.
He was one of five fatalities - the identity of the other four victims is unknown at the moment.
The aircraft went down in a remote field off Las Virgenes this morning. Nobody on the ground was hurt.
You can read more here.
'When he lost it mattered to him'published at 22:05 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
More from Brian Mahoney, NBA writer for the Associated Press: “He has been very visible this week. He has done interviews about LeBron passing him. He tweeted about it and has been very classy about it. He was not upset about someone passing him, he has been very gracious about it, which showed such a good side to Kobe.
“Everyone wants to win, but it feels like when they don’t win it feels OK. With Kobe that competitor in him never went away. When he lost it mattered to him. Whenever he played it mattered to him. Some guys now take games off but Kobe wanted to be out there every night trying to better his opponent.
“Beyond the championships and scoring marks, it was his competitiveness that I think people remember, first and foremost.
“His life went far beyond basketball. The last time I saw him was at the US Open tennis for a project he was involved in. He didn’t want to take time off, once he retired he was too busy doing things beyond the fact he was just a good basketball player.
“It is going to be very sad for them [Los Angeles Lakers]. It is the only organisation he played for. He spent a lengthy career with them, he is one of their all-time great players so it is going to be really hard for that organisation.”
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'Love you man' - Bieber pays respectpublished at 22:03 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
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'A legend on the court' - Obamapublished at 22:01 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
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'You will be missed brother'published at 21:58 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
LA Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd has paid his respects to Bryant.
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US First Lady Melania Trump pays tributepublished at 21:58 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
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Carey pays tributepublished at 21:56 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
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Neymar pays respect during celebrationpublished at 21:54 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
PSG and Brazil striker Neymar has paid respect to Bryant after scoring in his side's game against Lille tonight.
Image source, Getty Images
'He has always been an idol'published at 21:52 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
More from Joe Morgan, writer for Sporting News, told the BBC: “All the moves he did, the way he played the game, the effort that he had on the court, how much he loved to practice, how much he wanted to win - the players looked up to him.
“He has always been an idol, even to players like LeBron James. Passing him last night was a huge deal for LeBron.
“I think the rest of the season for the NBA is going to be difficult, I think the season will be dedicated to Kobe, I assume the NBA will do that.
“On Tuesday night the Lakers will be back here against the Clippers and I am sure they will do something for that.
“After Michael Jordan retired the NBA went into a bit of a lull, in terms of popularity. Everyone was always looking for the next Michael Jordan and it turned out that was Kobe Bryant.
“He’s the closest thing to Jordan that we have ever seen. He was able to bring the NBA back to where we wanted it to be and I credit him quite a bit with the popularity of the NBA today. I don’t think that would exist without Kobe Bryant.”
Postpublished at 21:50 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
In Hollywood, fans have created an 'RIP Kobe Bryant' star on the iconic Walk of Fame.
Image source, Getty Images
'I love you brother'published at 21:48 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
Shaquille O'Neal, who played alongside Bryant at the Lakers between 1996 and 2004, has paid his respects.
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Abdul-Jabbar pays respectpublished at 21:45 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
The NBA's all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has paid his respects to Bryant on Twitter.
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Postpublished at 21:42 Greenwich Mean Time 26 January 2020
Fans of the basketball legend have also started to gather at a memorial next to a mural of Bryant on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California.
Image source, Getty Images