Published 12:20 IST, January 27th 2020
Kobe Bryant congratulated LeBron James in his last social media posts
American Basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s sudden death has sent shock waves across the world. The 41-year-old died in a helicopter crash.
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American Basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s sudden death has sent shock waves across the world. The 41-year-old, along with his daughter Gianna Maria Onore and seven others, was killed in a tragic helicopter crash in Los Angeles. Less than 24 hours before his death, Bryant had shared a congratulatory post for fellow NBA star LeBron James for passing him to third place on the league’s all-time scoring. Watch the post here:
He had also taken to Twitter to toast James and used the Hashtag #33644- the numbers of points James needs to become the third-leading scorer in NBA history.
Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother 💪🏾 #33644
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 26, 2020
Speaking about his death, the Los Angeles County dept sheriff said that they got a call for a downed helicopter on Sunday following which the emergency services rushed to the scene and put out the fire. They also confirmed that the nine people aboard died. The crash is suspected to have occurred due to foggy winter conditions and is currently under investigation. According to reports, there was another basketball player and parent on the helicopter, but nothing has been confirmed yet. LeBron James was seen inconsolable as following Kobe Bryant's death after he landed in LA.
Bryant's extraordinary career
Kobe Bryant played with the Lakers for two decades, starting as an 18-year-old rookie in 1996. Bryant retired in 2016, third on the all-time NBA scoring list. He had five NBA championships to his name, winning NBA MVP in 2008. Bryant had a career average of 25 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. Kobe Bryant even paired up with LeBron James for the Olympics, winning the country two gold medals in 2008 and 2012 respectively.
12:19 IST, January 27th 2020