LOS ANGELES – Kobe Bryant inspired a generation of basketball players worldwide with both his sublime skills and his unquenchable competitive fire.
He also earned eternal adoration in Los Angeles during his two decades as the fierce soul of the city’s beloved Lakers.
Less than four years into his retirement from the game, Bryant was seeking new challenges and working to inspire his daughters’ generation through sports and storytelling when his next act ended shockingly early.
Bryant, the 18-time All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his time during a 20-year NBA career spent entirely with the Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. He was 41.
The crash occurred in the foggy hills above Calabasas, California, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bryant was killed, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press, and a different person familiar with the case confirmed Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna also died.