One of the greatest basketball players of all time, Kobe Bryant has died at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash in California, TMZ reports.
Bryant was traveling in his private helicopter with three others, TMZ reports. LA Country Sheriffs confirmed there were five fatalities in the crash, though victims have not been publicly identified.
TMZ first reported that Bryant was amongst those in the helicopter when it crashed around 10 am. ESPN, ABC, the LA Times, and Variety have also now confirmed Bryant was on the helicopter.
Update – 12:45 pm PT: After many unconfirmed reports flooding social media, TMZ is now reporting Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna Maria Ono, AKA GiGi, was also on board and died in the crash.
#Update Downed aircraft is a helicopter. Flames extinguished. #Malibu deputies at crash site looking for survivors, 4200 blk Las Virgenes Rd #Calabasas #LASD pic.twitter.com/eixLhGhLyE
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) January 26, 2020
Kobe Bryant is among those dead in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles, a source confirms to ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 26, 2020
The 18-time NBA All-Star played his entire 20-season career with the LA Lakers, leading the team to five NBA championships. He scored a total of 33,643 points during his career, and retired from after the 2015-16 season.
Bryant’s last tweet came on Saturday night as he praised LeBron James for passing him to become No. 3 on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother 💪🏾 #33644
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 26, 2020
LeBron reflects on his favorite Kobe memories and the impact the Mamba has had on his life 🤝 pic.twitter.com/UDBYdttSli
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 26, 2020
Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and three children: Natalia, Bianka, and newborn Capri.