Former Los Angeles Laker and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant and his daughter died Sunday in a helicopter crash in the Los Angeles area. Three other people were also killed.
David Shapiro, a former mayor of Calabasas and currently a city councilman, confirmed to NBC News that Bryant, 41, was on the helicopter.
Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna was also on the helicopter, according to Shapiro. The two were on board with another parent and child who were not identified.
The father and daughter were reportedly on their way to a travel basketball game when the helicopter crashed,
according to ESPN.
A call for a downed helicopter in Calabasas went out at 10:01 a.m. local time, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. People who were out mountain biking in the area reported the accident.
"Unfortunately there were no survivors," Los Angeles County Fire Captain Tony Imbrenda told reporters Sunday.
Bryant
told GQ in 2010 that he would take a private helicopter from his Orange County home to every home game he played at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
County officials said firefighters were able to extinguish the flames and are working to preserve evidence for investigators. The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed it was sending a team to investigate the crash of the Sikorsky S-76B.
The Los Angeles Police Department alerted fans who wished to mourn at the Lakers arena that they would be unable to access the Staples Center as the Recording Academy was hosting the Grammys at the venue Sunday evening.
He was the son of long-time professional basketball player Joe “Jellybean" Bryant, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers, San Diego Clippers and Houston Rockets. The elder Bryant also had a lengthy career playing in Italy.
Bryant attended Lower Merion High School just outside of Philadelphia and was drafted directly into the league. He took R&B superstar
Brandy Norwood to his 1996 prom.
LIKE FOR THE LEGEND :(