IT has been two years since the news of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna’s death shocked the world.
The NBA legend and his daughter were among nine people to die in a tragic helicopter crash.
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When did Kobe Bryant die?
Kobe Bryant tragically died on January 26, 2020.
He was often regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, after spending his entire 20-year career as a shooting guard for the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers.
He nicknamed himself “Black Mamba” in 2016 after Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 hit film, Kill Bill.
The five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist was survived by his three children and wife Vanessa.
What happened in the helicopter crash?
On February 25, 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board found that pilot error was the most significant cause of the crash.
Just a few weeks prior, the board released 1,852 pages from its investigation.
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Pilot Ara Zobayan took off that morning with Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, as well as John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester, and Christina Mauser.
The helicopter was heading into increasingly mountainous terrain, where visibility was poor.
The Sikorsky-76 chopper came down in fog in the Calabasas mountains northwest of Los Angeles.
TMZ was the first to confirm that the 41-year-old and his daughter were on their way to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice when the private helicopter went down at 1pm ET.
Sadly, everyone on board was killed on impact, and photos of the crash site were leaked.
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What have people said about his passing?
Two years after his passing, Kobe is still honored and remembered.
In January 2022, former Lakers star, Jerry West, reflected on Kobe’s death as well as fellow Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor, who passed away in March 2021.
Kobe “was just one of those unique players that comes along,” West told the New York Times.
“He had a big personality. He was very bright. He was going to be a bigger success off the court than on the court. He was taken away too young.”
He then went on to add that Baylor’s death was “unbelievably hurtful.”
“It was like – I lost my best friend,” he told the media outlet.
“I lost someone who meant more to me than just a basketball player. For three days I might be doing something – I might be hitting golf balls or chipping golf balls or putting golf balls – and honestly, I would just have to stop.”
Others then took to Twitter to honor the late star by posting tributes, photos, and videos.
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