Tributes continue to pour in after the shock death of retired basketball legend Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles (LA) County on Sunday.
The retired NBA LA Lakers star perished with his 13-year-old daughter along with seven others when the helicopter they were traveling in crashed into a hillside in the town of Calabasas.
While the National Transportation Safety Board in the US has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, fans, friends, colleagues and even presidents have all shared in the nation’s grief.
Bryant won multiple NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and was considered one of basketball’s all-time greats.
He and his daughter Gianna along with seven others among them parents, their children and the pilot were on their way to a basketball academy where Bryant coached his daughter’s team.
Despite growing interest and attention near the crash site, authorities have warned people to stay away.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva says: “As you can imagine, it’s a logistical nightmare in a sense, because the crash site itself is not easily accessible. However, we’re now faced with, I guess, well-wishers and people mourning who have descended on the area, on the residential community, and even the crash site itself, and we have to reiterate: it is off-limits to everybody, except the first responders and investigators.”
Thousands of fans flocked to the home of the Lakers – the Staples Centre – which at the time was hosting the Grammy Awards, a team Bryant spent his entire 20-year career playing for.
Other sports legends also weighed in.
Golfer Tiger Woods says: “It’s a shock to everyone, unbelievably sad, and one of the more tragic days I think, well for me the reality is just kind of setting in because I was just told probably about, you know, five minutes ago.”
ATP Tennis player Nick Kyrgios says, “When I woke up to the news, it was pretty emotional. It was pretty heavy, like, all day. Obviously I was having basketball at my house, watching the games. It was heavy. Yes, it’s just tough. It’s horrible news.”
ATP Tennis player Rafael Nadal says: “He had been a true inspiration for the world of sport and for a lot of kids, so yes, it’s one of those days that you want to forget, but of course Kobe Bryant will be in our hearts and our minds for the rest of our lives.”
In messages posted to Twitter, former US President Barack Obama called Bryant a legend who was just getting started on a meaningful second act in life.
US President Donald Trump later also referred to him as one of the truly great basketball players of all time offering condolences to his widow and three other daughters.
A son of Los Angeles and a city coming to terms with his untimely departure.
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R.I.P both ? #KobeBryant pic.twitter.com/02XhizuOer
— Maz Nazir (@Mi55Mazzy) January 27, 2020
