He seemed invincible. Kobe Bryant was a force of nature during his 20 years as a Los Angeles Laker, so when news broke on Jan. 26 that he’d died in a helicopter crash at age 41, the world seemed to stop spinning.
TRAGIC END The pro was traveling via his helicopter in foggy conditions to daughter Gianna’s basketball game when it crashed in Calabasas, Calif. (below, inset left), killing everyone on board: Gianna, 13; her teammate Alyssa Altobelli and her parents, John and Keri; teammate Payton Chester and her mother, Sarah; their basketball coach, Christina Mauser; and pilot Ara Zobayan.
SHOCK & DISBELIEF The tragedy sent ripples across the country. About 30 miles east of the scene, fans in Lakers gear gathered at the Staples Center — Bryant’s home for 20 years — to pay tribute (inset right). Celebrities and athletes flooded social media with prayers for Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, and the couple’s three other daughters, Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months. “There’s no words to express the pain I'm [sic] going through,” Bryant’s former teammate Shaquille O’Neal shared.
HIS LEGACY The Philly native’s story was one for the ages. Drafted by the NBA straight out of high school in 1996, Bryant was a Laker for his entire 20-year career. There were highs — like his astounding 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 — and dark lows. In 2003, he was accused of sexual assault; after charges were dropped when the accuser refused to testify, Bryant acknowledged, “Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual… I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.”
Though his reputation took a hit and he lost endorsements following the controversy, Bryant was back on top soon after. After retiring in 2016, he wrote the screenplay for 2018’s Oscar-winning animated short, Dear Basketball, and did philanthropic work for charities including the Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. He also spent a lot of his time coaching Gianna — who, he boasted, would be headed to the WNBA someday. There’s no telling what else he would have done with more time on this Earth. Rest in peace, legend.
ON TO THE NEXT
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
Scientology Scandal TRIAL & ERROR
Inside the court case that could finally bring down the controversial church. A source exclusively tells all to Us
All Dresched Up!
With plenty of places to go! Twenty years after The Nanny, Fran Drescher is back with a new sitcom and a Broadway show
Love Game - Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga had her fair share of bad romances in 2019.
What's In My Bag?
She’s known for playing prima donnas, but Elaine Hendrix is so down-to-earth!
Remembering Kobe - 1978–2020
Superhuman, even.
Pico De Guy(O)
Guy Fieri shares his Mex-cellent breakfast burrito with Us
Kim's Calling
Kim Kardashian West takes Us inside her new documentary
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
When Hollywood heavyweights need a divorce, they call Laura Wasser. The indemand attorney talks to Us
Alyson's Little Cookies
“We’re a good balance,” Hannigan says about Denisof. “I’m the ‘yes’ parent.”
A Duchess In Distress
With the palace in crisis, insiders tells Us Kate Middleton feels the weight of the world on her shoulders
PROOF KOBE DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE!
Fog-bound pilot didn’t know which way was up!
KOBE BRYANT & DAUGHTER DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE!
Gianna and Kobe died while on their way to a girls’ basketball tournament
PANINI ANNOUNCES KOBE REDEMPTION PLANS
KOBE BRYANT’S SUDDEN PASSING IN JANUARY CREATED A LOT OF HOLES. WHILE MOST ARE EMOTIONAL, THERE ARE SOME MORE PRACTICAL THINGS TO BE TAKEN CARE OF. TO THAT END, PANINI HAS ANNOUNCED PLANS FOR THE REMAINING KOBE BRYANT AUTOGRAPH REDEMPTIONS.
MARIAH'S BEAU HAS A BELLYFUL!
Toy boy Tanaka treated like dirt
Introducing
New, cool, and otherwise attention-grabbing bassists whose playing you need to hear, in their own words.
KOBE CLAN ON THE ROCKS!
Grief mounts in a vicious family feud
AFC WEST ROUNDUP
AFC WEST ROUNDUP
KOBE DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE!
WIDOW SEEKS MASSIVE PAYOUT IN SUIT AGAINST COPTER COMPANY
Kobe Bryant's Memorial
The Greatest player of all time
One family, five children: the ups and downs of remote schooling
DEER ISLE—Five kids, a home-based business and a lobsterman husband equals a busy life on any usual day. Throw in an abrupt change to home-based learning, after schools closed in March and a stay-at-home directive was issued over COVID-19, and life became a lot busier for Deer Isle mom Ashley Oliver.