Published 10:54 IST, January 27th 2020
LeBron James IN TEARS after Kobe Bryant and Gianna's death in tragic helicopter crash
LeBron James is seen hugging multiple people in the video, walking forward with his head down. James has landed in Los Angeles after playing Philadelphia 76ers
NBA legend Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash on Sunday, in Calabasas, California. The Lakers legend was 41 years old and was heading to the Mamba Academy to when the plane crashed. Kobe Bryant's daughter Gianna Maria Onore, was also on the plane with him. The crash occurred during foggy weather 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.
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Kobe Bryant dead: LeBron James was inconsolable as following Kobe Bryant's death
LeBron James is seen hugging multiple people in the video, walking forward with his head down. LeBron James had just landed in Los Angles after the LA Lakers vs Philadelphia 76ers game, where he surpassed Kobe Bryant on the all-time scoring list. Philadelphia was also Bryant's home town.
Kobe Bryant dead: His last social media posts were for to congratulate LeBron James
During the game, LeBron James wore shoes that had 'Mamba 4 Life' written on them as a tribute to the player. After the game, LeBron even talked about Kobe Bryant, remembering the first time when he met him. Kobe Bryant gave LeBron James his shoes when they first met in Philadelphia. For James, it feels like a surreal memory, now that he was playing the Sixers in a Lakers jersey. Even before LeBron James passed him on the all-time scoring list, Bryant had been excited about him achieving the feat and had accepted him as a Laker.
Kobe Bryant dead: The Laker legend's NBA 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.
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Kobe Bryant dead: The world pays tribute to the Black Mamba
Kobe Bryant fans gathered around Staples Center, where the Grammys were being held. Players like Dwyane Wade, DeMar DeRozan played spoke about the Black Mamba, remembering everything that they learnt from them. The Spurs and Raptors stopped their game to honour him. Twenty four was Bryant's jersey number for the second half of his career. Mavericks also paid a tribute, stating that no player will ever wear the 24 number jersey in his honour.
Updated 10:54 IST, January 27th 2020