Kobe Bryant death: When former NBA star spoke about Pele and football

Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant was a huge football fan. The NBA legend, who passed away on Sunday night (Monday morning IST) in a chopper crash along with eight others, had spoken about his love for football and football legend Pele.

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Kobe Bryant death: NBA legend compared himself to Pele

In an interview with ESPN UK, Kobe Bryant had accepted that he thought himself as Pele while playing football. He also recollected his time playing football and had asserted that his teammates would make him the goalkeeper, courtesy of his height (6’3”). Kobe Bryant, however, stated that he had soon realised that he was more talented in basketball than football. He also accepted that he was not that good while playing football. Kobe Bryant was also asked about his inspiration in basketball as a child. He acceded that he used to idolise Oscar Schmidt as the player would hit 35 to 40 points in every game.

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Kobe Bryant daughter: Gianna Maria Onore Bryant also died

The tragic crash saw nine people die, which included Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Maria Onore Bryant. The duo were expected to arrive at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for a basketball game. While Gianna was ready to play in that game, Kobe was set to coach the team.

Kobe Bryant daughter: Gianna was thought to be Kobe's heir

Gianna was the second daughter of Kobe Bryant and was a passionate basketball player like her father. Bryant made sure that he looked after her development by coaching her team. He also occasionally shared photos of her at games on Instagram or videos of the two of them playing together. She was thought to follow her father's footsteps to glory.

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Kobe Bryant NBA stats

The Lakers legend dominated the game for almost two decades, during which he won five championships, while also featuring in 18 All-Star Games. He retired in 2016. 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. 

Kobe Bryant body: Authorities are working on retrieving the dead bodies

Work on clearing up the debris for the crashed site is underway and is likely to be completed soon. According to Los Angeles authorities, the crashing site's location has made accessibility an issue. It is reported that three bodies have been recovered which are yet to be identified.

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