NBA legend Kobe Bryant and eight others, including his daughter, killed in California helicopter crash
- Helicopter crashed and burst into flames in foggy conditions in suburban Los Angeles
- Bryant is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history
Kobe Bryant, one of the NBA’s all-time greats whose international stardom transcended basketball, was killed on Sunday in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles along with his 13-year-old daughter and seven others on board, officials said. He was 41.
Bryant rocketed to fame as an 18-year-old rookie and played 20 years for the Los Angeles Lakers, 18 of them as an all-star, and winning five NBA championships. His death sent shock waves through the National Basketball Association, which he helped propel to international prominence, and around the world.
The chopper went down around 10am in hilly terrain in Calabasas, California, about 40 miles (65km) northwest of central Los Angeles, sparking a brush fire, officials said.
“There were no survivors. We have a manifest that indicates there were nine people on board the aircraft, the pilot plus eight individuals,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told a news conference, declining to identify any victims.
Asked by reporters if he believed there were nine bodies at the crash site, after earlier reports indicated only five dead, Villanueva said: “That is our belief, yes.”