Skip to content

UPDATE: Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash in California

Basketball star's daughter Gianna, 13, also reported to be on board
shutterstock_103223915
Photo s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Multiple news outlets are reporting the death of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant.

TMZ was the first to report that Bryant's private helicopter crashed in the suburban community of Calabasas, California. 

ESPN and ABC News have also confirmed the news, as has the Associated Press.

helicopter-crash-kobe-bryant-lasdFirefighters on scene of a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. on Jan. 26, 2020. Kobe Bryant is believed to be among the dead. Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department/Twitter

There were five people on board the helicopter, which went down around 10 a.m. Sunday. There were no survivors, confirm the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

TMZ is also reporting that one of the other passengers was Bryant's eldest daughter Gianna, 13, was on board, and that they were traveling to Bryant's sports facility, the Mamba Academy, in the nearby community of Thousand Oaks.

The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashed under unknown circumstances, according to a spokesperson from the National Transportation Safety Board who spoke with ABC News.

"It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Kobe Bryant and four others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas," Calabasas Mayor Alicia Weintraub said, according to NBC Los Angeles. "The aircraft went down in a remote field off Las Virgenes around 10:00 this morning. Nobody on the ground was hurt. The FAA and NTSB are investigating."

The Associated Press notes the crash sparked a small brush fire in the area. 

Bryant was 41. He had been married to his wife, Vanessa, since 2001. They had four daughters, including one born just last June.

The NBA star was last active Saturday on social media, sharing a similar message of respect to LeBron James on both Twitter and Instagram.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On to #2 @kingjames! Keep growing the game and charting the path for the next. 💪🏾

A post shared by Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) on

 

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department is expected to hold a press conference at 2 p.m. today.

From vancouverisawesome.com

With additional reporting by Lindsay William-Ross

More to come

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks