UPDATE: 1/27: The seven other victims on board have finally been revealed. John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Sarah Chester, Payton Chester, Christina Mauser and Ara Zobayan who was the pilot.
UPDATE (4 p.m. ET):
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed TMZ’s report that NBA superstar Kobe Bryant’s daughter, Gianna, 13, was on board the helicopter that crashed Sunday morning in Calabasas, leaving no survivors. Also on board was another player on Gianna’s travel basketball team and that player’s parent.
Sources: Kobe Bryant was on his way to a travel basketball game with his daughter Gianna when the helicopter crashed. Those aboard the helicopter also included another player and parent.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 26, 2020
Original story follows:
Retired NBA superstar Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash Sunday morning, TMZ reported.
BREAKING: Kobe Bryant Has Died In A Helicopter Crash https://t.co/42oINV9ZUU
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 26, 2020
Curt Sandoval of Los Angeles-based ABC7 corroborated the report.
#BreakingNews
This is not a joke-Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas
Our ABC7 Desk has confirmed
#abc7eyewitness— Curt Sandoval (@abc7curt) January 26, 2020
NBC Los Angeles confirmed that such a crash occurred and that the helicopter caught fire.
Just In: There are no survivors after a helicopter crashed and caught fire in Calabasas, officials said. https://t.co/3Cv8JBymOK
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) January 26, 2020
The news was confirmed by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Yahoo’s Chris Haynes.
Kobe Bryant is among those dead in a helicopter crash outside Los Angeles, a source confirms to ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 26, 2020
Can confirm legend Kobe Bryant has been tragically killed in an helicopter accident, sources told Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 26, 2020
Bryant, doubtless a future Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, spent all 20 years of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, winning five championships and one MVP award.
For his career, Bryant averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He led the league in scoring twice and was a 15-time All-NBA selection and 12-time All-Defense selection. He made 15 All-Star Games and was the MVP of four of them. He also won two Olympic gold medals for the U.S.
