UPDATE (6:10 p.m. ET): The Los Angeles County Sheriff says there were nine people on board. None survived.
UPDATE (3:20 a.m. ET):ESPN reports the helicopter carrying Kobe Bryant climbed to 2400 feet to “go above the layer” of thick fog. Moments later, it crashed into a hillside at 1400 feet. At the moment of impact, FlightRadar24 data indicates the copter was traveling at 184 mph and descending 4000 feet per minute (45 mph). A Calabasas resident said (quote) “It was very foggy. We couldn't see anything. But we heard some sputtering, and then a boom.” (ESPN)
Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest players in NBA history, died Sunday morning when his private chopper went down in Calabasas, California. He was 41.
TMZreports that his 13-year-old daughter Gianna was also killed, as well as one of her teammates, a parent and the pilot of the helicopter. New reports say there were four other passengers on board.
His death comes a day after fellow Los Angeles Laker LeBron James passed him on the NBA's all-time scorer list, pushing Kobe down to fourth place. James paid tribute to Kobe when talking about the milestone after Saturday night's game. Kobe responded, complimenting James in a tweet for "pushing the game forward."
The current Lakers squad was on a plane en route back to Los Angeles from Philadelphia when they got the news. After the plane landed, LeBron was captured by news cameras wiping tears away as he walked on the tarmac.
Though he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets straight out of Philadelphia's Lower Merion High School in 1996, he was traded to the Lakers, where he spent his entire NBA career, winning five championships. He was an 18-time All-Star, was named the NBA MVP in 2008 and led the NBA in scoring during two seasons.
During his tenure with the Lakers, Bryant teamed up with big-man Shaquille O'Neal to form one of the greatest dynamic duos in NBA history. Though the two feuded at some points, they were able to win three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002.
Some doubters questioned if Kobe could be an NBA champion without Shaq. In 2009 he shut down the talk, taking the Lakers to the top again in 2009 and 2010 with teammates Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom.
Kobe's life was not without controversy. In 2003, he was accused of a sexual assault, but the charges were dropped and a civil suit was settled out of court.
Bryant suffered potentially career-ending torn Achilles tendon in 2013 at the age of 34, but was able to come back before finally retiring in 2016.