SAD NEWS: A key player was involved in a critical accident.

SAD NEWS: A key player was involved in a critical accident.

On Sunday, the NBA and much of America were in shock after Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, died in a helicopter crash. He was 41.

Bryant was on board the helicopter with eight other people, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, when it crashed near Calabasas, 30 miles north-west of downtown Los Angeles, at 10 a.m. local time. The crash sparked brushfires, making it difficult for rescue workers to get close to the scene. There had been no survivors. Bryant, who has lived in the area for most of his life, frequently uses helicopters to avoid Los Angeles’ heavy traffic, and he was taking Gianna to a basketball game at his academy outside the city on Sunday.

“We received a call just before 10 a.m. this morning of an aircraft down in the Malibu area, right off of Las Vergenes, essentially Calabasas,” Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesman Tony Imbrenda said at the scene. “Some people were out mountain biking this morning when they noticed an aircraft in distress and went down into the hillside.” This was a helicopter; it was confirmed to be an S-76 Sikorsky helicopter, and there were no survivors.”

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have both stated that the accident will be investigated.

Bryant’s talent was evident from a young age, and he was attracting national attention while still in high school. Unlike most NBA players, he skipped college and went straight to the league. He spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won five championships and was named an All-Star 18 times. He retired as the NBA’s third-highest all-time scorer in 2016. He also won gold medals with Team USA at the Olympics in 2008 and 2012.

“The NBA family is devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver in a statement.

“For 20 seasons, Kobe demonstrated what is possible when exceptional talent is combined with an unwavering commitment to winning.” He was one of the most extraordinary players in our game’s history, with legendary achievements such as five NBA championships, an NBA MVP award, 18 NBA All-Star selections, and two Olympic gold medals. But he will be remembered most for motivating people all over the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the best of their abilities.

“He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share it with future generations of players, taking special delight in passing down his love of the game to Gianna.”

Bryant and his daughter’s deaths were described as “devastating” by Donald Trump, who expressed his condolences. “Despite being one of the all-time great basketball players, Kobe Bryant was just getting started in life.” He was devoted to his family and had a strong desire for the future. “The loss of his beautiful daughter, Gianna, adds to the tragedy,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

Trump’s predecessor as US president, Barack Obama, also paid his respects. “Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act,” he wrote on Twitter. “To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.”

Bryant moved into the media following his retirement and in 2018 he won an Oscar for best animated short for a film called Dear Basketball, based on a poem he wrote about his retirement from the game.

However, Bryant’s reputation was tarnished after he was arrested in 2003 over accusations he had raped a teenager at a hotel in Colorado. Bryant denied the allegations, saying the encounter had been consensual. The case was dropped after the alleged victim refused to testify at trial. Bryant later apologised to the woman, saying “I recognise now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did”. Bryant and the woman later settled a separate civil suit out of cout

On Saturday night another NBA legend, LeBron James, had paid tribute to Bryant after passing him to become the third-highest scorer in the league’s history.

“He is someone that I used as inspiration. It was like, wow. Seeing a kid, 17 years old, come into the NBA and trying to make an impact on a franchise, I used it as motivation,” said James.

Another of Bryant’s fellow Los Angeles Lakers greats, Magic Johnson, gave his thoughts on Sunday’s news. “My friend, a legend, husband, father, son, brother, Oscar winner and greatest Laker of all-time is gone,” he wrote on Twitter. “It’s hard to accept. Kobe was a leader of our game, a mentor to both male and female players.”

Players and fans observed a minute’s silence at the first scheduled NBA game on Sunday, an encounter between the Denver Nuggets and the Houston Rockets. Bryant’s name was chanted at the NFL’s annual Pro Bowl game, which took place in Orlando on Sunday as news of his death broke.

The Lakers’ next game is on Tuesday at their home arena, the Staples Center, against their cross-city rivals, the Clippers. Fans gathered outside the arena on Sunday, many wearing jerseys bearing Bryant’s name. “The city is bleeding right now,” said one fan, Edgar Ruiz. “I always felt the energy when he was in the building. That was my idol. Fans were inspired by his work ethic … it’s hard to take in because he had such a big impact in our community, he did so many great things in LA.”

Bryant was married to Vanessa, with whom he had four daughters, including Gianna. His father, Joe, also played in the NBA.