12/21/24
January 26, 2020
Kobe Bryant Dies in Helicopter Crash: Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died Sunday morning along with seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Bryant was a two-time NBA Finals MVP, a one-time league MVP, eighteen time all-star and was third in NBA's all-time scoring leaders until Saturday night at 33,654 when he was passed by LeBron James.
posted by rcade to basketball at 06:36 PM - 13 comments
News has been confirmed. Bryant and 4 others are dead. Bryant's wife was not on board. My wife and I are sitting here stunned and greatly saddened
posted by Howard_T at 03:05 PM on January 26, 2020
ABC News says Kobe's 13year-old daughter is among the victims. They were on their way to a game. Another parent and daughter were on the flight. The 5th victim is probably the pilot.
posted by Howard_T at 04:23 PM on January 26, 2020
And his daughter? How awful! Sad day in the sports world for sure
posted by NoMich at 05:33 PM on January 26, 2020
Raptors and Spurs both get 24 second violations to start the game in tribute to the passing of Kobe.
posted by grum@work at 05:44 PM on January 26, 2020
It'll feel the same way it does today at the HOF enshrinement ceremony, which is taking place damn near on his birthday.
posted by beaverboard at 06:26 PM on January 26, 2020
A terrible tragedy made so much worse by the loss of his daughter. Bryant was just in the news saying that some WNBA stars are good enough to play in the NBA. At the time I was struck by this part of the story: "While he has retired from the NBA, Bryant currently coaches his 13-year-old daughter Gianna's basketball team. Apparently, Gianna has her heart set on attending Taurasi and Moore's alma mater, the University of Connecticut, rather than following in her father's footsteps at UCLA."
posted by rcade at 06:41 PM on January 26, 2020
It looks like all of the teams tonight are doing 24-second or 8-second violations to start the game.
posted by grum@work at 08:53 PM on January 26, 2020
.
posted by bender at 10:04 AM on January 27, 2020
.
Stunning news when I heard it. I don't follow the NBA, but Bryant was one of those athletes who you were aware of if you were paying attention at all, even before the accusation of sexual assault. May his family find some peace without their loved ones.
posted by tahoemoj at 12:37 PM on January 27, 2020
........
posted by tommybiden at 01:42 PM on January 27, 2020
My son was visiting yesterday. He was napping after a weekend of skiing in Maine, and he came downstairs shortly after his mobile phone woke him up with the news of Kobe. Our conversation turned to our memories of Kobe's games we had seen in Boston, especially his last game here. We remembered my saying to my son tha while the rest of the Lakers were just going through the motions, that Kobe had too much respect for the game to give anything but his best.
In 1956 I witnessed the first NBA game of Bill Russell. Now I have witnessed the last game in Boston of Kobe Bryant. This spans about 6 decades of NBA history, and I can count on the fingers of one hand those players who have had a near equal impact upon the game. Kobe was booed in Boston as an opponent, and the booing spurred him to be better and to win. I think of the lines from Kipling's Gunga Din
"Oh I beat you and I flayed you, but by God it made you. You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din"
RIP, Kobe Bryant.
posted by Howard_T at 04:08 PM on January 27, 2020
Report on the news that Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash in California. The reports are not confirmed yet. His private helicopter with 5 aboard is said to have crashed, and 3 are dead.