Basketball legend Kobe Bryant tragically dies in a helicopter crash on Sunday, January 26, 2020. On the way to a basketball tournament, the helicopter crashed at 9:45 am near Calabasas, sending 9 people to their deaths, including Kobe Bryant's second oldest daughter Gianna.
The 198 cm tall former shooting guard of the Los Angeles Lakers (1996 to 2016) was used to taking his helicopter to fly to practice or to his games. There was nothing unusual about that. It was almost a daily routine.
But on Sunday, January 26, 2020, there was fog, so visibility was very poor, even dangerous. Air traffic controllers had pointed out the poor visibility around Burbank in the north as well as Van Nuys in the northwest. The police rated the danger so high that they left their own helicopters on the ground. At 9 a.m., the helicopter took off from Santa Ana; at 9:45 a.m., it climbed 600 meters in altitude, suddenly descended and crashed into a field in Calabasas, a suburb west of Los Angeles. According to authorities, the helicopter burst into flames immediately after impact and started a fire, complicating the work of rescue workers. Police believe the fog and associated poor visibility caused the accident. Among the dead are the pilot and eight passengers, including Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and John Altobelli, longtime Orange Coast College baseball coach, his wife Keri and his daughter Alyssa.
The 5-time NBA champion, 18-time NBA All-Star and double Olympic gold medalist, who set countless impressive records, is survived by his wife Vanessa and three other daughters. The death of the basketball star caused an outcry throughout the sports world, which is shocked by his death. The whole world is stunned by the tragic death of the basketball legend, nicknamed "Black Mamba".
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