The world is reeling as news Kobe Bryant died sets in. It has been confirmed his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Maria Onore was also on board and died in the crash. They were allegedly on their way to Bryant’s Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for basketball practice.
The 41-year-old great, who is regarded as one of the greatest NBA players of all time, perished in a helicopter crash Sunday morning, TMZ reports.
Kobe’s private helicopter went down in Calabasas. He was among three other people on the flight, who all lost their lives when the copter suddenly went down.
According to reports, witnesses heard the engine sputtering before it crashed and erupted into flames.
Vanessa Bryant was not on board.
Kobe and Vanessa’s love stems back decades. The couple met in 1999 when Vanessa worked as a backup dancer and Kobe, a young phenom in the NBA. They got engaged after six months of dating. They famously got married, in 2001, without a pre-nup.
They had their first child Natalie Diamante Bryant, in 2003, Gianna Maria Onore Bryant in 2006, Bianka Bella Bryant in 2016 and Capri Kobe Bryant in 2019.
We are devastated by this news and uplifting the Bryant family in prayer.
