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Published 23:31 IST, January 29th 2020

Kobe Bryant went to Newport Beach church for praying hours before tragic death: Report

Kobe Bryant and late daughter Gianna Bryant had attended church just hours before they passed away on Sunday. Father Steve Sallot said Kobe was a man of faith.

Reported by: Daniel Arambur
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Kobe Bryant and 13-year old daughter Gianna's death has left the world in shock. The NBA legend was a highly revered member of the LA community and was a devout Catholic. As per recent reports, the five-time NBA Championship winner had attended church and received holy communion just hours before his death.

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Father Steve Sallot told CBS2 on Monday that Kobe Bryant stopped at the Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church and attended mass along with Gianna on the day of their death. Sallot recalls “I saw him yesterday (Sunday) before the 7 am mass,” Sallot said. “We chatted for a couple of minutes, and then he moved on, and obviously, he was going to the airport yesterday morning. He was quite a man of faith. We shook hands, and I saw that he had blessed himself because there was a little holy water on his forehead,” Sallot said. “So I knew that he’d gone into the chapel to pray and came out and blessed himself. And then we spoke for a minute, shook hands, and then off he went.”

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Updated 23:31 IST, January 29th 2020

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