Former colleagues and legends of the National Basketball Association (NBA) mourn the untimely death of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and his daughter in a helicopter crash. He was 41 years old.
Reports reveal that Bryant’s helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California on Sunday morning and with him was his daughter Gianna Bryant and seven people on board. No one survived the crash.
Basketball legend Shaquille ‘Shaq’ O’Neil posted on Twitter and said that Bryant was more than an athlete and described him as a true ‘family man’.
“Kobe was so much more than an athlete, he was a family man. That was what we had most in common. I would hug his children like they were my own and he would embrace my kids like they were his. His baby girl Gigi was born on the same day as my youngest daughter Me’Arah,” he said.
Former Lakers President Magic Johnson still couldn’t believe that the basketball world will lose a great talent and legend.
“As I try to write this post, my mind is racing. I’m in disbelief and have been crying all morning over this devastating news that Kobe and his young daughter, Gigi have passed away in a helicopter crash. Cookie and I are heartbroken,” he said in a tweet.
Another basketball superstar, Michael Jordan shared that he loves Bryant and he’s like a brother to him.
“He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force. Kobe was also an amazing dad who loved his family deeply,” Jordan said in a statement.
Lebron James, on the other hand, has yet to come up with a statement on Bryant’s passing, but a video posted by 12Sports AZ showed James in tears as he exits the Los Angeles Lakers team plane following the news of Kobe Bryant’s death.
James passed Kobe for 3rd on the all-time scoring list on Sunday.
READ ALSO: Kobe Bryant’s daughter Gianna among the 9 confirmed dead in the chopper crash
