Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna Die in Helicopter Crash

[Elmer_Judd]

Just woke up, and I wish this was just a nightmare I had and none of this happened today.

It's actually my birthday today (40) and I honestly don't feel any kind of celebration, just really hollow and flag about the lose of Kobe and Gigi (and naturally the other people esp the kids who died in that helicopter)



Hard to fathom the depths of grief and pain the Lakers fanbase and family are going through, but we (the Celtics and NBA Community overall) mourn with you

 

[Sab22]

sad day, but happy birthday mate. have a good one with the family, Kobe would want you to.

Just woke up, and I wish this was just a nightmare I had and none of this happened today.

It's actually my birthday today (40) and I honestly don't feel any kind of celebration, just really hollow and flag about the lose of Kobe and Gigi (and naturally the other people esp the kids who died in that helicopter)



Hard to fathom the depths of grief and pain the Lakers fanbase and family are going through, but we (the Celtics and NBA Community overall) mourn with you

 

[Memphis]

 

[Macpotata]

Just woke up, and I wish this was just a nightmare I had and none of this happened today.

It's actually my birthday today (40) and I honestly don't feel any kind of celebration, just really hollow and flag about the lose of Kobe and Gigi (and naturally the other people esp the kids who died in that helicopter)



Hard to fathom the depths of grief and pain the Lakers fanbase and family are going through, but we (the Celtics and NBA Community overall) mourn with you

Could cry seeing this pic. I think it's from the 2010 NBA Finals. Maybe game 5. Any heart breaking.

 

[Memphis]

Lovely words T-mac.

 

[DEVO]

I'm at work and tearing up reading this article. By all reports, Gianna was going to be a star in her own right.

Gianna Bryant, 13, was going to carry on a basketball legacy

Very sad.

 

[peternorth]

Where's teh crying emoji

 

[Mazza1234678]

That is such an awesome pic

 

[Memphis]

 

[Arcanefontaine]

well whenever it is played it’ll be a memorable game none the less

 

[Memphis]

.

Hopefully, the others get more recognition.
Lovely touch Luka.

 

[Biggie]

Makes complete sense.

 

[Memphis]

 

[SportsCentre]

Detroit Pistons

 

[Arcanefontaine]

 

[Memphis]

So deep from Lebron.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

I think Clippers would be comfortable with this as well. From what I understand, Kawhi and George were good mates with, and huge fans of Kobe. I think it was the correct move to postpone the game.

 

[Elmer_Judd]

In all my lifetime following the NBA/Hoops (28 years now a Celtic) i would never consider The Laker organization and fanbase by brothers and sisters, and deep in my heart, I would gladly wish this never happened, it's not just the loss of Kobe and his beautiful young daughter that hurts, it's a painful reminder of how precious and fragile life can be, the Celtics have had some pretty tragic premature passings in the past 30 years, Len Bias and Reggie Lewis, but Kobe had a stature that elevated himself beyond basketball, and especially in today's era of The Internet/Social Media, was a global phenom.

I feel really honoured and flattered that Kobe regatded his and The Lakers 2010 championship the most satisfying of his storied career.



I am still really rattled by this tragedy, I do like to think that somewhere, someplace Kobe, David Stern and Jerry Buds are each cracking open a beer together and celebrating the legacy of both The Commissioner and Kobe.

 

[Royces Hart]

I wonder how the NBA will handle the funeral. Surely there is going to be a large number of players who will attend, will they postpone a night’s worth of games, or go ahead without the attendees.

 

[BG__]

The NBL is doing 24sec of applause before the start of each game this round

 

[peternorth]

Ill never forget when he went full kobe in the this game


and part 2

 

[tenderwarrior]

and he was cleared anyway.

No, not really. If you think that you do not understand either the case or power dynamics at all.

 

[peternorth]

If you have Kayo, Kobes last game is there for you to consume

 

[Macpotata]

two days later it seems more real now. Vanessa and the girls have to endure not one loss but two.



heart ripping stuff.

 

[Macpotata]

Poignant behind-the-scenes moments of Kobe Bryant's final speaking tour in Australia have revealed in the wake of his death.

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion in two decades with the Los Angeles Lakers, died on Sunday aged 41 in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles that killed nine, including his daughter Gigi.


Promoters who organised his final speaking tour in Australia in March last year released emotional clips showing Bryant in Melbourne, where he travelled for a one- night only speaking show at Crown Casino.

The video showed Bryant being greeted with high-fives and adoring chants from the crowd at Crown - and vision of basketball courts in the city's neighbourhoods.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

A video tribute from promoters who organised Kobe Bryant's last visit to Australia (pictured) has been released sharing some words of inspiration the NBA legend
Next Slide
Full Screen

1/26 SLIDES © Provided by Daily Mail
A video tribute from promoters who organised Kobe Bryant's last visit to Australia (pictured) has been released sharing some words of inspiration the NBA legend
His accommodation at Crown Towers was seen in the clip, which also captured the moment he left the city on his private jet.

During his talk in Melbourne, Bryant spoke about his mind set and what others can do to achieve their own goals, no matter how big or small.

'Do what you love. At the core of everything that we do is to love and be loved. And that means each other,' he said.

'That means with a particular craft, with ourselves, don’t compromise the love that you have for something because you decide to take an easier route, or you decide to take a safer route.

'Do what you love to do, do it to the best of your ability.'

The touching tribute came on the same day his last interview in Australia, from the same trip, resurfaced.

Bryant was candid about his love for his daughters and wife, speaking with honesty that showcased why the NBA legend was so widely admired across the globe.

Bryant talked about his adoration of his daughters with former AFL star Brendan Fevola, 39, who is also a father to four girls.

Bryant joked that living in a house with all women meant nobody seemed to take him seriously.

'We know there's pretty much nothing we can say because anytime we say something, we're basically speaking to ourselves,' he said.

'We're never right. You might as well turn around and speak to the wall because nobody is listening to you.'

The interview was conducted just months before Bryant and his wife of 19 years, Vanessa Bryant, 37, welcomed their fourth daughter, Capri, in June 2019.

Kobe heaped praise on his girls, calling his eldest daughter, Natalia, 17, a talented volleyball player, and said Gianna - nicknamed Gigi - had inherited his love for basketball.

'[Gigi] is basketball obsessed. She learned how to play a year and a half ago, she practises everyday … she's going for it,' Byrant told Fevola.

'Our little one... I don't know what she's gonna do, but this kid is a little tornado. She doesn't sit down for anything. You turn your back for one minute and she’s all over here … like, ''What are you doing''?'

Fevola admitted he often felt like he was a 'servant' to his four daughters, Mia, 20, Leni, 12, Lulu, eight, and Tobi, four months, with his wife of nine years, Alex Fevola.

'Girls are the best, they do run the world, they tell me everyday they're the boss and we're just their servants,' he told Bryant.

The basketballer responded: 'Hey man, that's a beautiful problem to have, brother.'

On Sunday, Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed when the helicopter they were travelling on crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California.