It’s now being said that Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Maria, was one of the other victims of the crash.
UPDATED STORY: TMZ has more information now, reporting that Bryant’s daughter Gianna was among those killed.
In their update: “Kobe’s daughter Gianna Maria — aka GiGi — was also on board the helicopter and died in the crash … reps for Kobe tell TMZ Sports. She was 13.”
“We’re told they were on their way to the Mamba Academy for a basketball practice when the crash occurred. The Academy is in nearby Thousand Oaks.”
ORIGINAL STORY: In some shocking and tragic news, 5-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant died Sunday morning after the helicopter he was traveling in crash landed in Calabasas, Los Angeles.
TMZ reports that “Kobe was traveling with at least 3 other people in his private helicopter when it went down. A fire broke out. Emergency personnel responded, but nobody on board survived. 5 people are confirmed dead.”
The names of the other victims have not been released at this time. It’s being said though that Bryant’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, was not among those on board. Bryant leaves behind his four daughters Gianna, Natalia, Bianca, and Capri (who was born last June).
The news has also been confirmed to Variety.
TMZ also now has some images of up of the photos neighbors took of the crash site up in the mountains, with some saying they “heard the helicopter’s engine sputtering before it went down.”
Bryant’s NBA career spanned 20 years, all of which he spent with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, 12-time member of the All-Defensive team and was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2008.
Bryant was also featured on the covers of many NBA games, including his own game, Kobe Bryant in NBA Courtside (for N64), its sequel, NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant, along with NBA 2K10 and 2K17’s “Legend Edition.”
Kobe Bryant was 41.
IGN will update this story with any new information that is released.
[poilib element=”accentDivider”]
Source: IGN.com Kobe Bryant and Daughter Among Multiple Fatalities in a Helicopter Crash