Kobe Bryant, a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers who is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all-time, died in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles on Sunday, the City of Calabasas said. He was 41.
The Federal Aviation Administration said a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashed this morning under unknown circumstances near Calabasas, California. The Los Angeles County sheriff said five people were on board.
It’s unclear who Bryant was traveling with.
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Bryant, the fourth-leading scorer in NBA history, retired in 2016 after spending 20 years with the Lakers. In addition to his five titles, he was selected to the all-star 18 times and earned an MVP award in 2008. He was a 12-time member of the all-defensive team and made the all-NBA team 15 times.
After his retirement, Bryant launched his production company, Granity Studios. His first project, “Dear Basketball,” won the Oscar for best short animated film in 2008.
In November, Bryant told CBS News’ Dana Jacobson he wanted to be remembered for generations as a “storyteller,” with the “basketball side” being for the older generations.
He said 50 years from now, he wanted to be remembered “as a person that was able to create stories that inspired their children and families to bond together. And for the children to dream. Then have the initiative to wake up every morning and do all they can to help that dream become a reality, you know, that would be really, really cool.”
LeBron James surpassed Bryant as the third all-time scoring leader on Saturday.
This is a breaking story. It will be updated.
