Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter accident, impact lives on through current generation

Career-long Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant reportedly has died at 41 in a tragic helicopter accident according to TMZ.

According to TMZ, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on Sunday morning. Following TMZ’s report, the LA Times reported a helicopter crash but noted that the identities of the victims were not available. The report of Bryant’s death was later confirmed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski in a Tweet.

Update (3:55 pm EST): TMZ has now reported that Kobe Bryant’s daughter, Gianna Maria was on board with Kobe and has also died. Kobe Bryant was on the way to a travel basketball game with another parent and player according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

Four others were confirmed dead, including Gianna. Kobe is survived by his wife and three other children.

Bryant played 20 seasons in the NBA, all with the Lakers, leading the franchise to five NBA titles.

Bryant holds the franchise’s record in games played, field goals, and points, winning the NBA’s season scoring title in two back-to-back seasons. He has two jersey numbers retired — 8 and 24 — by the team. He was an MVP, a two-time NBA Finals MVP, and a four-time All-Star MVP.

Bryant retired following the 2015-16 season, but has not been a stranger to the league. He has been known for publicly and privately passing out “Mamba Challenges” to various basketball players, continually impacting the next generation of the NBA and further pushing his mindset of wanting those who can be great to reach that pinnacle of greatness.

Famously, Giannis Antetokounmpo asked Bryant for a challenge, and Kobe gave him one — win league MVP.

Antetokounmpo did just that last season and is one of the few front-runners for the award so far this year as well.

Bryant this summer held an invite-only camp with some of the NBA’s top athletes to further work with them in honing their skills.

He also opened Mamba Academy in late 2018, a place for youth, amateur, and pro athletes to train and recover.

Bryant’s impact on the game went beyond the NBA. He was a known supporter of the WNBA and its players, recently saying to CNN that he believes some of the WNBA’s athletes could keep up with the best of them in the NBA. He was seen courtside at a Lakers game this season donning an orange WNBA hoodie with his daughter Gianna.

His death comes on the heels of former NBA commissioner David Stern’s passing in early January. Both had a significant impact on shaping the NBA to be what we know it as today.

Bryant’s playstyle was, at times, divisive. Debates still go on today over the impact and efficiency of his how he played the game, but none can deny the ultimate winning outcome of his presence on the court. The debates that surrounded him added to the legend of Kobe and the impact he brought to the game.

He was the face of a storied franchise for two decades and one of the faces of the league for some time. A perennial All-Star and NBA Finals contestant, he was a competitor through and through. Bryant was great for the league and put his stamp on an era of massive growth for the NBA. It is easy to connect him and the ascension of the league’s popularity.

The NBA All-Star game — a weekend that shows off current NBA talent and celebrates the game — takes place in mid-February. Tributes and celebrations of life for both Stern and Bryant will almost certainly be a key component of the weekend’s festivities.

Kobe Bryant will be remembered as one of the greatest to ever play the game.