Basketball legend Kobe Bryant has died today after a helicopter crash near Los Angeles killed all five people on board. The sheriff’s department received reports of the downed aircraft just after 10 a.m. Kobe’s daughter Gianna Maria Onore — aka GiGi — was also on board the helicopter and died in the crash. Bryant had four children, all girls.
Born in Philadelphia, Bryant was drafted to the NBA straight out of Lower Merion High School near Philadelphia in 1996. He was the youngest player in NBA history at that time, at 18 years, 2 months and 11 days.Bryant played his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers and won five NBA championships.Bryant has two Olympic gold medals for men’s basketball. Bryant retired in April 2016.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called Bryant a “giant who inspired, amazed, and thrilled people everywhere with his incomparable skill on the court — and awed us with his intellect and humility as a father, husband, creative genius, and ambassador for the game he loved.”He will live forever in the heart of Los Angeles, and will be remembered through the ages as one of our greatest heroes.”
