TOMORROW marks the one year annivesary of Kobe Bryant's tragic death.
The 41-year-old NBA legend was killed along with his daughter Gianna, 13, when a helicopter they were travelling crashed into a hill in thick fog just outside Los Angeles.
Kobe, nicknamed the Black Mamba, was survived by wife Vanessa and his other daughters Natalia, Bianca and Capri, who was born in June 2019.
Lebron James is leading tributes, saying "Man, it's a saying that time heals all. As devastating and as tragic as it was – and still is – to all of us involved with it, only time. It takes time. Everyone has their own grieving process."
You can follow all the latest news and updates on the first anniversary of Kobe's death on our live blog below…
- Patrick Knox
WHAT IS PLANNED FOR THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF KOBE’S DEATH?
While fans across the world are marking the first anniversary of the death of Kobe Bryant and Gianna, the Los Angeles Lakers have not announced any public events.
ESPN is honoring the legacy of the NBA legend with a prime-time special that will air Sunday night.
Artists across the world have reportedly organized a special united tribute to mark the anniversary with more than 400 murals worldwide.
Throughout the year Vanessa Bryant has shared tributes on Instagram, remembering and cherishing her late husband and daughter.
- Patrick Knox
ONE YEAR ON…
Last year the news of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna’s death shook the world.
While the family has asked for photos of the crash not to be reposted, they have encouraged fans to honour the legendary pair by celebrating their lives.
Read more about the tragic death of the NBA superstar here.
- Patrick Knox
LEBRON JAMES PAYS TRIBUTE TO BASKETBALL STAR
James, who now leads the LA Lakers, where Bryant spent the entirety of his 20-year career in the NBA, was speaking after the team's win over Chicago on Saturday night.
"Man, it's a saying that time heals all," he said.
"As devastating and as tragic as it was – and still is – to all of us involved with it, only time. And it takes time. Everyone has their own grieving process."
On several outings during last season's playoff and finals run, the Lakers wore their "Black Mamba" jerseys – designed by Bryant, whose nickname was Black Mamba, in 2018 – in commemoration of him.
- Patrick Knox
VANESSA BRYANT SHARES TOUCHING LETTER FROM GIANNA’S PAL
Aubrey, Gigi Bryant's best friend, wrote the heartfelt letter to Vanessa.
The letter read: "My mind constantly thinks of your beautiful daughter. Her smile and attitude push me to be better.
"You have probably heard this, but if I ever become a mom, I hope my daughter turns out exactly as yours did.
"She attacked each day as though it was hers to conquer. She would smile and bring the rest of us up with her.
"She changed our lives. Her simple actions made all of us better.”
- Patrick Knox
KOBE FANS CREATE MORE THAN 400 MURALS AROUND GLOBE
Fan Mike Asner, created kobemural.com, which brings together Kobe murals from several counties, with a map showing photos and geographic location.
The website currently shows there are 437 murals documented in over 30 countries, including 247 in Southern California alone.
He has now been in contact with multiple artists and put together a moving video, showing the scope of the projects over different continents.
Mike told The Sun: "We have 24 artists from around the world, as 24 was his number.
24 artists around the world share the inspiration behind their Kobe Bryant murals in their own words
- Patrick Knox
WHY WAS GIANNA ON THE HELICOPTER WITH HER DAD?
Gianna and dad Kobe had been expected at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for a basketball game.
The teenager was set to play in the game and her dad was expected to coach, according to Lady Mavericks team director Evelyn Morales.
The pair died after the helicopter crashed on Sunday, January 26.
Sadly, college baseball coach John Altobelli and his wife and daughter – Keri and Alyssa – were also killed in the crash.
In total, nine people died on board.
- Patrick Knox
WHAT BASKETBALL TEAM DID GIANNA PLAY FOR?
Gianna was part of the Mamba Lady Mavericks team and had been expected to play girls from the Fresno Lady Heat team.
She hoped to play in the WNBA, and Kobe believed she was the heir to his legacy.
- Patrick Knox
WHO WAS KOBE BRYANT'S DAUGHTER GIGI?
Gigi was a budding basketball player who was the second of four daughters of Kobe and his wife Vanessa, 38.
She was a rising star in her own right and was on her way to a practice session before the crash that ended her life on January 26, 2020.
Gigi was not afraid to show off her basketball skills to disprove Kobe fans who thought he needed a son to carry on his legacy.
One of her team-mates, Alyssa Altobelli, was also on board the helicopter when it crashed into a hill shrouded in fog 30 miles west of downtown Los Angeles.
- Patrick Knox
KOBE BRYANT’S TRAGIC LAST FLIGHT
- Patrick Knox
WHAT HAD KOBE SAID ABOUT HIS DAUGHTERS ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
In the weeks leading up to his death, devoted dad Kobe posted numerous pictures of his beloved girls, who he was renowned as being immensely proud of, across his social media pages.
On January 19, he celebrated the 17th birthday of his eldest girl Natalie, posting a grown-up picture of the teenager in a red dress to Instagram.
He wrote: "Happy Birthday my baby. I love you beyond measure. You will always be my little Principessa #17."
- Patrick Knox
HOW MANY CHILDREN DOES KOBE BRYANT HAVE?
The five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist had four children with wife Vanessa, 37, a former model and music video star from Los Angeles.
She met Kobe on the set of a music video when she was 17 and still at high school.
The couple were parents to four daughters. They are:
- Natalia, born in January 2003
- Gianna, born in May 2006
- Bianka, born in December 2016
- Capri Kobe, born in June 2019
KOBE AND GIGI SEEN LAUGHING IN FOOTAGE WEEKS BEFORE CRASH
A short video clip went viral following their deaths, showing the father and daughter enjoying a game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets.
The footage shows Bryant telling Gigi something while using hand actions, then nodding to her when she responds.
Gigi then starts laughing as he continues to explain something.
The father and daughter duo spent every night watching games together on NBA League Pass.
WERE THE OFFICERS WHO LEAKED THE CRASH PHOTOS ARRESTED?
Due to the pending investigation, it is unclear what will happen to the officers involved.
A bill supported by Sheriff Villanueva states that taking such photographs is a misdemeanor crime with a maximum punishment of one year in jail and a $5,000 fine.
WHY DID KOBE’S WIFE VANESSA BRYANT SUE THE LAPD SHERIFF?
Vanessa Bryant, 38, sued the LAPD sheriff over photos that were taken at the site of the helicopter crash that left her husband Kobe and daughter Gianna Bryant dead.
She was told by Sheriff Alex Villanueva that deputies were securing the crash site, where onlookers had been gathering, according to the lawsuit.
However, Sheriff Villanueva admitted that eight cops who were at the scene had snapped pics of the accident and were involved in sharing those photos.
WHY DIDN'T HIS PARENTS ATTEND HIS WEDDING?
Kobe's parents allegedly thought the couple had married too young and did not attend the wedding.
Their decision to miss his wedding reportedly resulted in a two-year estrangement, ending only when Kobe and Vanessa's oldest daughter Natalia, was born in January 2003.
"It was no secret that there was a distance between Vanessa and his folks after a series of bust-ups when they were dating, including them missing his wedding," a source told The Sun.
- Patrick Knox
WHO ARE KOBE BRYANT’S PARENTS?
Dad Joe Bryant married wife Pam in 1975, and they would have three children: Kobe, Sharia, and Shaya.
Kobe fell out with his parents when they failed to approve of his relationship with Vanessa Bryant.
Kobe and Vanessa wed in 2001.
Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for a photo with his parents after winning the NBA championship on June 19, 2000
- Patrick Knox
KOBE BRYANT’S INSPIRING BUSINESS EMPIRE WORTH $600M REMAINS STRONG
Before the NBA legend died last year, he had set up Kobe Inc. – a brand development firm established in 2013 which made a $6-million investment in sports drink company BodyArmor that was later valued at $200 million.
He also owned Granity Studios, a production company that allowed him to become an author and an Academy Award-winning filmmaker.
Bryant became the first pro athlete to win an Academy Award in 2018 for his animated short film "Dear Basketball."
The company has continued to release new projects and young adult books since the 41-year-old tragically died last year.
Vanessa Bryant, his wife, is now the company's chief executive, according to a June filing with the California secretary of state’s office.
- Patrick Knox
PICTURED: NBA GIANT REMEMBERED
Murals of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna can be seen on walls across Southern California.Credit: Rex Features - Patrick Knox
WHO WAS HIS WIFE VANESSA LAINE?
Kobe was in a relationship with Vanessa Laine since November 1999.
The pair got engaged after just six months and were married in April 2001 in Dana Point, California.
In 2011 the couple filed for divorce, but less than two years later called it off.
They have four children together – all four of them daughters – including GiGi, 13, who tragically passed away in the accident.
Their names are Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, Gianna and Capri with the youngest born in June 2019.
NINTCHDBPICT000560370817Credit: Getty Images - Patrick Knox
WHAT IS PLANNED FOR THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY?
While fans across the world are marking the first anniversary of the death of Kobe Bryant and Gianna, the Los Angeles Lakers have not announced any public events.
ESPN is honoring the legacy of the NBA legend with a prime-time special that will air Sunday night.
Artists across the world have reportedly organized a special united tribute to mark the anniversary with more than 400 murals worldwide.
Throughout the year Vanessa Bryant has shared tributes on Instagram, remembering and cherishing her late husband and daughter.
NINTCHDBPICT000632596517Credit: AP:Associated Press - Patrick Knox
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE HELICOPTER CRASH?
Though The National Transportation Safety Board is set to release its final report on the incident on February 9, it has released 1,852 pages from its investigation.
Pilot Ara Zobayan took off with Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna; John and Keri Altobelli and their daughter, Alyssa; Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton; and Christina Mauser, an assistant coach.
The helicopter was heading into increasingly mountainous terrain, where visibility was poor.
The Sikorsky-76 chopper came down in fog in the Calabasas mountains northwest of Los Angeles.
- Patrick Knox
WHY WAS GIANNA ON THE HELICOPTER
Gianna and dad Kobe had been expected at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for a basketball game scheduled for Sunday.
The teenager was expected to play in the game and her dad was expected to coach, according to Lady Mavericks team director Evelyn Morales.
The pair died after the helicopter crashed on Sunday, January 26
- Abe Hawken
TEAM MAMBA
Kobe and Gigi Bryant were seen laughing at a game in heartwrenching footage just weeks before they died in a helicopter crash.
The footage resurfaced exactly one year after Bryant died in a helicopter crash along with eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter.
A short video clip went viral following their deaths, showing the father and daughter enjoying a game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets.
- Abe Hawken
WORLDWIDE TRIBUTES
While fans across the world are marking the first anniversary of the death of Kobe Bryant and Gianna, the Los Angeles Lakers have not announced any public events.
ESPN is honoring the legacy of the NBA legend with a prime-time special.
Artists across the world have reportedly organised a special united tribute to mark the anniversary with more than 400 murals worldwide.
Throughout the year Vanessa Bryant has shared tributes on Instagram, remembering and cherishing her late husband and daughter.
- Joseph Gamp
KOBE BRYANT'S TRAGIC LAST FLIGHT REVEALED
Kobe Bryant's tragic last flight ended in disaster after the chopper plunged 1,000ft in mere seconds after the pilot tried to escape foggy conditions.
The helicopter crash that killed the NBA Legend, his daughter Gianna and seven other people place a new focus on significant flaws in federal aviation regulation.
Read more here.
Source: Read Full Article
