Basketball lovers and fans of Kobe Bryant woke up shocked to read today's news that Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. Kobe was a hugely popular basketball player in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was such a great basketball player, in fact, that he was invited to play in the National Basketball Association straight out of high school, winning 5 NBA championships during his All-Star career.

Kobe died in the helicopter accident, along with 8 other people, including his own 13-year old daughter, Gianna. The crash occurred near Malibu, California, but details are still forthcoming. Others who died were John Altobelli, Orange Coast College's head baseball coach, as well as John's wife and one of their two daughters. The news is so heartbreaking.

Kobe's nickname was "Black Mamba" and he garnered a huge fan base over the years. He retired from the Los Angeles Lakersin 2016 was the ranked number 4 on the NBA's all-time point leaders with an impressive record of 33,643 points. He also won an Academy Award for his animated short "Dear Basketball."

He had been married to Vanessa for over 18 years, although he was involved in a rape allegation with a hotel employee back in 2005. Vanessa and three of their other daughters were not on the helicopter at the time of the crash. They must be devastated and certainly deserve our condolences and their respect for privacy at this difficult time.

People always want to know what the last words of people who died are to try to understand what was going on their minds or feel closer to them somehow. Kobe's last recorded words were in a Tweet, congratulating Los Angeles Laker LeBron James, whose total points surpassed Kobe's count, putting LeBron into the #3 position and Kobe into the #4 place.

Fans have already been gathering near the crash site, as well as placing flowers, pictures, Nike shoes, and candles in front of a Kobe Bryant mural outside of a Show Palace on Melrose Avenue in California.