Kobe Bryant dies in a helicopter crash! – “They’re flying too low”

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant is dead. The 41-year-old died in a helicopter crash. This was announced Sunday night.

According to this, Kobe Bryant died Sunday morning in a helicopter accident in Calabasas, California. The NBA legend was with at least three people on board when the helicopter crashed. According to the celebrity portal “TMZ,” his daughter Gianna (†13) also died in the crash.

Kobe Bryant is dead – latest news

3:48 pm: In addition to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, seven other people died on board the helicopter. College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa were three of them. According to media reports, girl basketball coach and Altobelli colleague Christina Mauser (†38) also sat in the death helicopter, leaving behind her husband and daughters. The other inmates were Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton. The pilot is said to have been identified as Ara Zobayan. The 50-year-old was considered an experienced pilot. “He taught aspiring pilots how to fly and was very much loved in the aviation community,” said pilot colleague Christina Pascucci.

12:44 pm: “You’re flying too low to track.” There was no answer to these last words of the air traffic control, which were radioed to the pilot of the helicopter. Possibly because he was flying too low as he circled over Burbank Airport until landing permission was granted. Then N72EX disappeared from the radar. As the “Sun” reported, the helicopter still climbed to over 600 meters, but then crashed into the mountain at 518 meters. Why the helicopter took off at all despite the fog, because of which even police helicopters stayed on the ground, is being investigated.

10:39 am: Kobe Bryant was on his way to his sports school “Mamba Academy” with his daughter. There his daughter, already a highly talented basketball player at the age of 13, should have played. Dad Kobe, who also often worked as a coach at his academy, wanted to watch his daughter play.

9:22 am: In the meantime, it is clear: John Altobelli, baseball coach at the “Orange Coast College”, was also sitting in the helicopter and, like his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa, is one of the victims of the tragedy. “We have lost a member of our OCC family, and our hearts are broken,” said OCC President Angelica Suarez. “Coach Altobelli was an institution on our campus – a beloved teacher, coach, colleague, and friend. This is a tremendous loss for our campus community.”

8:06 am: The number of people who died in the accident has now been confirmed. According to official police reports, a total of nine people were on board: The pilot, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other passengers. Among the victims was John Altobelli, coach of the Orange Coast College baseball team. The school announced this. According to CNN, his wife and one of his two daughters also died in the crash. The identification by the authorities is still pending.

7:27 am: Many celebrities are shocked. The death hit a longtime teammate and good friend Shaquille O’Neal particularly hard. The NBA star writes on Twitter: “I can’t find words for the pain I am going through because I lost my niece Gigi and my brother Kobe Bryant. I love you, and you will be missed. My condolences go out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board.”

In another tweet, he writes: “Kobe was more than an athlete, he was a family man. (…) His little daughter Gigi was born the same day as my youngest daughter Me’Arah.”

7:04 am: Because of a more than dubious action shortly after the death of Kobe Bryant, and the “Washington Post” has suspended a journalist for the time being.

6:33 am: TMZ now showed a photo which should show the crash site.

Monday, 27th January, 6:17 am: According to the Times report, it was foggy around the hills where the helicopter crashed. The Kobe Bryant helicopter had apparently taken off from Orange County where the 41-year-old lived with his family.

11:14 pm: Adrian Wojnarowski, the NBA expert from the US channel ESPN, writes that he learned from sources that Kobe Bryant was on his way to a basketball game with his daughter Gianna when the helicopter crashed.

11:01 pm: The “Los Angeles Times” reports several deaths, the exact number is unclear. According to the newspaper, the crash caused a bush fire. This made it difficult for the rescuers to get to the crash site.

10:44 pm: After the crash, rumours spread that Rick Fox, also a former Lakers player, was also on board. The Canadian’s lawyer denied the rumours according to TMZ.

10:23 pm: The news of the superstar’s death spread like wildfire around the world. Already at the Grammys, which were awarded last night in the USA, a song was dedicated to the 41-year-old by soul singer Alicia Keys and the band Boyz-II-Men.

Trump: “Terrible news”

Sunday, 10:10 pm: Many people, including celebrities from sports, politics, and society, have already expressed their grief in social media. Even US President Donald Trump reacted: “This is terrible news!”

NFL star Tom Brady writes, “We miss you already, Kobe.” Bavarian star Jerome Boateng mourns: “No, that can’t be true. R.I.P. King. We’ll all miss you. Our prayers are with the family. #goat”

Kaley Cuoco (Penny from “Big Bang Theory”) has posted a picture of the NBA legend on her Instagram Channel saying, “Sitting here for hours completely shocked by the news. Kobe, it’s going to hurt like hell for a while.”

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The last words of Kobe Bryant

9:41 pm: Only 15 hours before the sad news from California, Kobe Bryant posted on Instagram: “Let’s go to number 2, King James! Develop the game further and set the stage for the next one.” A message to Lakers star LeBron James, who knocked the club legend from third place in the eternal scorer list the night before.

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Kobe Bryant – a legend

-born on 23rd August 1978 in Philadelphia (USA)
-NBA-Draft 1996
-position: Shooting Guard
-1996 to 2016 Los Angeles Lakers
-33,643 points
-2008: Most Valuable Player (MVP) – Election as the most valuable player of the NBA
-since 1998 continuously on the NBA Allstar Team
-24 games for the USA
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8:55 pm: A fire is said to have broken out on board. TMZ confirms that five people died. According to this, his wife Vanessa was not on the helicopter. The couple has four children.

Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest NBA players of all time

Kobe Bryant was one of the best basketball players of all time. He played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996 to 2016. During this period he had a decisive influence on the NBA, the highest division in the USA.

In 2000, 2001 and 2002, the Lakers dominated the NBA with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and Rick Fox and won the championship three times in a row. In 2009 and 2010, the team with Kobe at the top won the championship twice again.

Kobe Bryant is ranked 4th in the list of the best players in the history of the NBA with 33,643 points.