-Editorial
The world of sports is mourning the death of Kobe Bryant who died in a helicopter crash Jan. 26.
After the retirement of Michael Jordan in 2000, Kobe became a huge star in the NBA due to his great athleticism that made him win many championships and one of the best players of all time.
TMZ broke the news that Basketball legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash. Kobe was traveling with at least three other people in his private helicopter when it went down and a fire broke out. Emergency personnel responded, but nobody on board survived. Five people are confirmed dead. His wife, Vanessa Bryant, was not among those on board. TMZ reported eyewitnesses heard the helicopter’s engine sputtering before it went down.
He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive team and was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2008.
At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. He became the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history on February 1, 2010, when he surpassed Jerry West. During his third year in the league, Bryant was chosen to start the All-Star Game, and he would continue to be selected to start that game for a record 18 consecutive appearances until his retirement.
His four All-Star MVP Awards are tied with Bob Pettit for the most in NBA history. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he won gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team.