The Mamba has left the building. Kobe Bryant has died. The 41-year-old was among the nine killed in a helicopter crash yesterday morning in Calabasas, California. His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also on-board. They were on their way to the Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for basketball practice.
Apparently, Kobe was known to travel by helicopter. During his career, he would commute from Newport Beach, California to the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles in his Sikorsky S-76 chopper.
Kobe was born in Philadelphia but grew up in Italy where his father played basketball. Kobe joined the NBA right after graduating high school. He spent his 20-season career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was the third all-time scorer in the NBA until Saturday when he was surpassed by LeBron James. He also won five NBA championships. When he retired in 2016, in 2016, he set another record by making 60 points in his final game.
Source: TMZ
Photo Credit: Getty Images