27 January 2020 - NBA star Kobe Bryant dies aged 41
Kobe Bryant, NBA legend, dies at 41
The Associated Press (AP, 26/01/2020)
By any measure, Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest players in NBA history.
The retired Los Angeles Lakers star, who died Sunday in a helicopter crash at age 41, was proudest of his five championship rings, the most recent in 2010. Only four NBA players who weren’t on the Boston Celtics’ 1960s dynasty teams have won more titles. Bryant reached seven NBA Finals.
His career was remarkable for its longevity and because he played all 20 seasons with the Lakers — the most ever for one team. Bryant was the fifth player to last two full decades.
Kobe Bryant Was Basketball’s Great Storyteller
Louisa Thomas (The New Yorker, 26/01/2020)
On Saturday night, in a game against the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James scored a driving layup with 7:23 left in the third quarter, giving him 33,644 points in his career—two more than Kobe Bryant, and good for third place on the N.B.A.’s all-time scoring list. Before the game, James had written “Mamba 4 life”—a reference to Bryant’s nickname—on his shoes. “Continuing to move the game forward, @KingJames,” Bryant tweeted at 10:39 P.M., adding a flexed-muscle emoji. “Much respect my brother #33644.” The next morning, Bryant and his daughter Gianna boarded a helicopter in Orange County, where they live, and took off for one of Gianna’s travel basketball games. A teammate and another parent were also on board. The helicopter crashed in the fog in the hills above Calabasas, TMZ first reported, and burst into flames, killing everyone aboard.
Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest basketball players of all time
Tom Joyce (Washington Examiner, 26/01/2020)
Longtime Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday.
The 41-year-old was one of nine people killed in the crash, including his 13-year-old daughter. For a 13-year-old girl to lose her life and for her siblings to lose their father is tragic, as are the other seven deaths. From a basketball perspective, Bryant’s death is a major loss — he was one of the greatest players to have ever played the game.
LeBron James Reflected On Kobe Bryant’s Legacy The Night Before His Death
Sanjana Karanth (The Huffington Post, 26/01/2020)
LeBron James reflected Saturday on Kobe Bryant’s legacy as one of the greatest NBA players of all time ― one day before the former Los Angeles Laker and his daughter died in a helicopter crash.
James, who currently plays for the Lakers, passed Bryant on Saturday to clinch the No. 3 spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. The Lakers were playing the Philadelphia 76ers, and James needed 18 points to pass Bryant’s career total of 33,643 points.