NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were two of nine people reportedly killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Sunday. They were on their way to a basketball practice at Bryant’s “Mamba Academy,” located in Thousand Oaks, California. The 41-year-old basketball star is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and their other three daughters including newborn, Capri, who was born just last June.
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Celebrities have responded to the heartbreaking news.
There’s no words to express the pain Im going through with this tragedy of loosing my neice Gigi & my brother @kobebryant I love u and u will be missed. My condolences goes out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. IM SICK RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/pigHywq3c1
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) January 26, 2020
Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 26, 2020
Downtown right now and nothing feels more unimportant than what we are doing today. This is absolutely terrible. Everyone is numb.
— christine teigen (@chrissyteigen) January 26, 2020
Michael Jordan on the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna pic.twitter.com/z0Ja0hf9QX
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 26, 2020
Nooooooooooo God please No!
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) January 26, 2020
Most people will remember Kobe as the magnificent athlete who inspired a whole generation of basketball players. But I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete. pic.twitter.com/9EZuwk8wrV
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) January 26, 2020
My heart is in pieces hearing the news of this unimaginable tragedy. I can’t fathom what the families are going through. Kobe meant so much to me and to us all. Sending my prayers, love, and endless condolences to Vanessa and the family and anyone who lost someone on that flight.
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) January 26, 2020
I’m so sad and stunned right now. In Staples Arena, where Kobe created so many memories for all of us, preparing to pay tribute to another brilliant man we lost too soon, Nipsey Hussle. Life can be so brutal and senseless sometimes. Hold on to your loved ones. We miss you, Kobe
— John Legend (@johnlegend) January 26, 2020
This is a moment that leaves us struggling to find words that express the magnitude of shock and sorrow we are all feeling right now, and I am keeping Kobe’s entire family in my prayers at this time of unimaginable grief.
— Mayor Eric Garcetti (@MayorOfLA) January 26, 2020
Fans gathered outside Staples Center in Los Angeles, California where “Mamba” played before retiring in 2016. Many visited the sports arena, donning his #24 and #8 Lakers jersey.
Fans and mourners chant “MVP! MVP!” outside of the Staples Center in tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant. https://t.co/T9J8GeZAGv pic.twitter.com/cPjZiPw2mu
— Good Morning America (@GMA) January 26, 2020