Update: 5:37 PM EST (January 26, 2020) – L.A. County sheriff Alex Villanueva a total of 9 people are believed to have been on board the helicopter during the fatal crash, according to the flight manifest. There are no survivors.
Update: 3:37 PM EST (January 26, 2020) – Bryant’s second daughter Gianna Maria-Onore was among the passengers who died in the fatal helicopter crash, reports TMZ Sports.
The two were reportedly on their way to her basketball tournament at the Mamba Sports Academy. Nicknamed, “Gigi aka Viva aka the Mambacita #2, the 13-year-old also played basketball and dominated the court just like her dad. The emerging basketball star had dreams of playing for the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team.
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NBA legend Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning (Jan. 26).
At around 10 a.m. PST, authorities responded to a fiery crash near Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas, Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times notes. All passengers on board the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, which is reported to be four other people, were reported dead at the scene. A brushfire ensued causing difficult conditions for firefighters to contain the incident, the news website further states.
Bryant, 41, is survived by his wife Vanessa Bryant, and three children: Natalia Diamante, Bianka Bella, and Capri Kobe, who was born in 2019.
