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ICON DEAD
KOBE Bryant and his oldest daughter, Gianna, have died in a tragic helicopter crash, which came down in California.
The 41-year-old NBA legend and his daughter, 13, were on their way to a basketball practice when the chopper came down at around 10am - in conditions that had forced the LAPD to ground their choppers.
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Bryant shot to fame as an 18-year-old and and played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years, winning five NBA championships on the way.
The death of the player nicknamed The Black Mamba sent shockwaves through the NBA and stunned fans around the world.
He is survived by wife Vanessa and his other daughters Natalia, Bianca and Capri, who was born in June 2019.
The chopper came down after getting into trouble flying in thick fog.
LAPD grounded their air support because the conditions were so bad, according to TMZ.
The pilot - named locally as Ara Zobayan - was attempting to turn the aircraft when it smashed into hills of Las Virgenes Canyon, which is home to celebrities including the Kardashians.
He had been in communication with air traffic control as he circled above Burbank, California for around 15 minutes.
THICK FOG
Just seconds before the crash an operator in the control tower was heard saying,"you're too low" as he lost contact with the aircraft.
Moments later the helicopter smashed into a hillside.
Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, and their daughter Alyssa were also among the nine people killed in the crash, officials said.
Other victims were Christina Mauser, Bryant's assistant coach in youth basketball, along with Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton, who was reportedly a teammate of Gianna.
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TRIBUTES TO A LEGEND
A "shocked" Michael Jordan lamented the passing of his "little brother" and the "amazing dad."
Jordan - widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all-time - led the tributes as the world mourned the all-time NBA legend.
"I am in shock over the tragic news of Kobe's and Gianna's passing. Words can't describe the pain I'm feeling," he said.
"I loved Kobe - he was like a little brother to me. He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force."
Bryant's longtime teammate Shaquille O'Neal, with whom he had a sometimes-contentious relationship, said he was "sick" and speechless over the loss of his "niece" and "brother".
"There’s no words to express the pain I'm going through with this tragedy of losing my niece Gigi & my brother," he tweeted.
"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."
President Trump called the reports of Bryant's death "terrible news."
Former US President Barack Obama mourned the "heartbreaking" loss of the NBA great and his teenage daughter.
"Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act," wrote Obama, referencing the Mamba Sports Academy training facility Bryant opened in 2018, according to Bleacher Report.
"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."
Words can't describe the pain I'm feeling
Michael Jordan
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said: "He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game, with accomplishments that are legendary.”
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who last night passed Bryant for third place on the NBA's all-time scoring list, was noticeably upset as he exited the Lakers plane at Los Angeles airport.
James shared a heart-wrenching tribute to his "big bro," whose "friendship" and "brotherhood" he had cherished through the years.
"I literally just heard your voice Sunday morning before I left Philly to head back to LA," he wrote.
"Didn’t think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we’d have.
"I’m heartbroken and devastated my brother!!"
Bryant's last tweet on his social media was a congratulatory message to James.
The tweet read: "Continuing to move the game forward. Much respect my brother #33644."
Fans started to gather around a makeshift memorial outside of the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, where the 62nd annual Grammy Awards, was held last night.
Alicia Keys was one of the artist to honour Bryant, saying her heart was "literally broken".
Outside fans comforted one another while holding up posters and adorning the front of the arena with bouquets of flowers, fan art, cards and snapshots of Bryant in action.
The Houston Rockets and the Denver Nuggets also had a minute of silence for the basketball player.
Players around the league honored the Black Mamba on the court with homages to Bryant scribbled onto the sides of their sneakers.
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CLOSE TO DAUGHTER
Bryant shared an extremely close relationship with his daughter, Gianna, who was often called GiGi.
She was a passionate basketball player, who had her own aspirations of being a star one day.
In a previous interview, a proud Kobe said his daughter was "hell-bent" on one day playing for the University of Connecticut women's basketball team.
Gianna then hoped to forge her own career in the WNBA.
On Sunday evening, some of the final images of Bryant and his daughter were revealed from a day earlier.
In the images from Saturday, Bryant could be seen proudly watching on as Gianna played two eight-grade games for Kobe's Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California.
In others, the proud father, who often coached Gianna's team, could be seen giving a pep talk.
It was reported that Kobe would often take Gianna and her teammates to watch professional games, advising them during certain plays and situations.
Bryant saw his daughter as the heir to his legacy, which he confirmed during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2018.
Kobe and his mother Pamela had a strained relationship in the years before his death after he discovered his family secretly tried to sell his memorabilia without his consent in 2013.
Bryant’s visibly shocked stepfather-in-law Stephen Laine - who helped raise Bryant's wife Vanessa - told The Sun: “I just found out and can’t say much, just that I wish the family well.
“I just heard on the news that Gianna died as well. It’s terrible. My heart goes out to Vanessa and the kids.”
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Bryant spoke about his love for flying to GQ Magazine in 2010 and mentioned that helicopter was his preferred mode of transportation.
Since his playing days he frequently used helicopters to avoid the Los Angeles area's notorious traffic.
The Sikorsky S-76 took off from Long Beach at 8:29 a.m PST on Sunday, then touched down again just eight minutes later in Orange County.
It is believed the stop was to pick up Bryant and the other passengers.
The helicopter then took off again 30 minutes later at 9:06 a.m. PST but never reached its final destination.
It spent around 15 minutes circling above Burbank, California, halfway through its flight, before setting off on the fateful finally leg.
FATAL FLIGHT
The chopper was trying to turn when it hit the hillside at 1700 feet, near the the home of Kourtney Kardashian.
Witnesses saw the helicopter in distress, LA County Fire Capt. Tony Imbrenda told reporters.
It is not known whether the pilot alerted over radio that the aircraft was in trouble.
The Federal Aviation Administration said the Sikorsky S-76 crashed under "unknown circumstances."
L.A. Times reporter Richard Winton reported the mountains were "fogged in."
"I heard the plane splutter and then a boom," he tweeted.
Calabasas resident Matt Graham told People: 'I was sitting on my couch when I heard it go over our roof. I thought to myself, 'Wow they're flying really low today.'
"It must've been about 100 feet above our roof by the way the house was shaking. I couldn't imagine why a helicopter was flying so low.'
Attempts by the authorities to reach the crash site were hampered by the terrain and well wishers trying to get to the site.
“Right now it’s a logistical nightmare because the crash site itself is not easily accessible,’’ Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles County sheriff, said at a news conference Sunday night.
“Well wishers have also descended on the area including the crash site itself. We have personnel deployed to get people away from there. It’s dangerous terrain even in daylight.”
TREACHEROUS CONDITIONS
Experienced LA helicopter pilot Phillipe Lesourd described treacherous weather conditions.
"The visibility was so bad... The conditions were very, very poor," he told the The Sun Online.
"I flew with my wife last week and there was fog inside the Malibu Canyon and we turned around because there was no visibility. Today would have been even worse.
KOBE'S HELICOPTER
The helicopter was registered and operated by Island Express Holdings and Island Express Helicopters, which runs a fleet of helicopters that fly the 15-minute tourist route between San Pedro, CA, and Santa Catalina Island.
The company has been linked with two fatal crashes inlcuding one in 2008, where a helicopter filled with sightseers crashed on the west coast of Santa Catalina Island, killing three people and injuring three others.
The tour helicopter, a Eurocopter AS 350, operated by Island Express was carrying five passengers and a pilot.
Federal officials concluded that a turbine blade fatigue fracture was the probable cause of the accident.
Back in 1985, a helicopter operated by Island Express collided with another helicopter from San Pedro after picking up passengers in Avalon, Catalina’s largest town.
One person was killed and 11 people were injured.
"When there is no visibility, when something happens you don't see the ground coming."
He confirmed that the LAPD grounded its helicopters because of poor visibility.
"I checked the weather this morning around the time of the crash and it was low visibility everywhere in Los Angeles.
"I'm sure this pilot would have known that area. But he must have got surprised. And that type of helicopter can travel up to 115mph."
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LEGACY
Bryant spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and led the team to five NBA championships while starring in 18 All-Star games.
In 1996, the Philadelphia native was drafted into the NBA straight out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets before he was eventually traded to the Lakers.
He spent his first 10 seasons wearing No. 8 before switching to No. 24 for the latter half of his career until his retirement in 2016.
Bryant became the first player in league history to have two jerseys hanging in the rafters when the Lakers retired both of his numbers in 2017
Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal emerged as a formidable duo on the court - the pair achieved a historic "three-peat" in NBA championships with the Lakers from 2000 to 2002.
He became the first basketball player to win both an NBA championship and Academy Award in 2018.
Bryant won the Oscar for best short animated film for Dear Basketball, a five-minute movie based on a blog post by the same name he wrote for The Players Tribune in 2015.
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