NBA legend Kobe Bryant, 41, died in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning in Calabasas, Calif., along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office confirmed. Seven other people were on board Bryant’s helicopter and were all killed in the tragic accident.
Bryant’s impact on basketball is obvious: five-time NBA champion; two-time NBA Finals MVP; league MVP in 2008; 18-time NBA All-Star; fourth-leading scorer in NBA history. He played for only one team in his career, the Lakers, and wore two numbers in his career, and both No. 8 and No. 24 have been retired by the team.
Few other professional athletes are more closely associated with and representative of one city than Bryant and Los Angeles; Derek Jeter and New York City might be a fair comparison.