Kobe Bryant And Daughter Gianna Among 9 Dead in California Helicopter Crash

UPDATE: During the latest press conference, the sheriff revealed that there were a total of 9 people who lost their live in the crash, including the pilot.

UPDATE: Kobe Bryant’s middle child, daughter Gianna Maria, was also onboard the helicopter and died in the crash. She was 13.

Sources tell TMZ that they were on their way to the Mamba Academy for a basketball practice when the crash occurred. The Academy is in nearby Thousand Oaks.

During Kobe’s career, he would take Gianna and her older sister, Natalia, to his games where they would often shoot around with the team in warm-ups. Bryant dreams to play the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team. She plays basketball for the Los Angeles Lady Mamba girls basketball team.

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA on Sunday.

TMZ Sports reports:

Eyewitnesses also tell us that they heard the helicopter’s engine sputtering before it went down. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Kobe was known for using a helicopter to travel for years. He would commute from Newport Beach, CA to the STAPLES Center in DTLA in his Sikorsky S-76 chopper.

Kobe is widely considered one of the greatest NBA players of all time — making 18 All-Star teams during his 20 year career with the Lakers. He was a first-round pick in the 1996 draft, winning 5 NBA championships, 2 NBA Finals MVPs and he was the league MVP in ’08.

The Lakers famously retired both of Kobe’s jerseys, number 8 and 24 … the only player in team history to receive that honor.

Kobe’s accomplishments stand far outside of the basketball world. He won an Oscar for his short film, “Dear Basketball,” in 2018.KB is survived by his wife Vanessa, and daughters — Natalia and Bianca and their youngest Capri, who was born in June 2019.

He was 41 years old. RIP