Dozens of celebrities have taken to social media to express their shock over Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter crash.
Khloe Kardashian wrote: ‘This can’t be real, there’s no way!!! My heart hurts.’
“Tristan Thompson tweeted: ‘I hope this isn’t true man!!’
‘Demi Lovato shared a shot with the Lakers legend at the Staples Center, writing: ‘This makes me so sad.’
‘Chrissy Teigen was shocked and could not believe ‘this is real’ upon hearing the news that Bryant died
‘Khalid wrote: ‘RIP Kobe. This is heartbreaking unbelievable’
Former Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tweeted that ‘Most people will remember Kobe as the magnificent athlete who inspired a whole generation of basketball players. But I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete.’
And former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen added: ‘I’m stunned. Words can’t even come close to describing it. Just an incredibly sad and tragic day.’
Bryant was widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
The Philadelphia native was a first-round pick in the 1996 draft and spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, winning five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVP titles and 18 All-Star titles before retiring in 2016.
Bryant was on 15 All-NBA Teams, 12 All-Defensive Teams and won gold medals for the USA at the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.
He was the first guard in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons and was the first and only player in Lakers history to have both of his jersey numbers – 8 and 24 – retired.
He is currently ranked fourth for all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring.
He jumped straight from a Philadelphia high school to the NBA Draft at 17, forgoing college at a time when predominant wisdom dictated that prospects develop their game at the NCAA level.
And although he couldn’t even vote when his NBA career began in 1996, he refused to kowtow to his veteran teammates, famously feuding with Shaquille O’Neal over the All-Star centre’s conditioning and dedication.
‘I remember one thing he said: If you want to be great at it, or want to be one of the greats, you’ve got to put the work in,’ James told reporters of Bryant on Saturday.
‘There’s no substitution for work.’
Even at the end of his career, when a battered 37-year-old Bryant and the Lakers finished just 17-65, the 18-time All-Star gave a fitting farewell, dominating the Utah Jazz in his final game while scoring 60 points — the most by any player in the NBA that season.
Bryant’s self-assuredness continued into his post-playing career.
In addition to his vast endorsement deals, Kobe established his own sports brand, Kobe Inc, and saw his share in the business get a reported $200million valuation in 2018.
That same year he produced an animated short film, ‘Dear Basketball’, that ultimately won an Oscar – one of the innumerable awards that found their way to Bryant.
Naturally, Bryant did not have any humble origins.
Born in Philadelphia to 76ers forward Joe ‘Jellybean’ Bryant and Pamela Cox, the sister of another NBA player, Kobe’s life was inextricably linked to basketball, and not just in the United States.
After a solid eight-year NBA career, Joe moved the family to Italy when Kobe was just six to continue playing professionally.
It was there that Bryant learned to speak Italian fluently, scoured the NBA highlight videos his grandfather sent him from the US, and rooted for his father’s teammate, current Houston Rockets and former Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni.
Throughout it all, basketball remained a constant in Bryant’s life.
His family moved back to Philadelphia at the end of his father’s basketball career.
The younger Bryant attended Lower Merion High School, where his jersey is now retired, and by his senior year had become a national sensation.
The Lakers traded star centre Vlade Divac to the Charlotte Hornets for Bryant’s draft rights in 1996, and the budding superstar rewarded Los Angeles by winning the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award as a rookie.
Bryant was a starter by his second season, and when coach Phil Jackson brought the famous triangle offence to the Lakers in 1999, Los Angeles came back to prominence, winning three consecutive titles.
Even after the team traded O’Neal to the Miami Heat, the Lakers re-loaded with Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, helping Bryant to win another two NBA titles in 2009 and 2010.
But Bryant’s life had its valleys along with its peaks.
He suffered an Achilles tendon injury at 34 that more or less ended his days as an elite NBA player.
More infamously, Bryant was accused of sexual assault in 2003 by a 19-year-old woman working at a Colorado resort, where he was recovering from surgery.
Bryant claimed the sex was consensual and prosecutors dropped the charges at the request of the accuser after a reported deal was struck.
The incident became tabloid fodder as Bryant gave his wife Vanessa a ring reportedly worth $4million as an apology.
But Bryant still managed to repair his image and even became known as a doting father to his four daughters.
