I can’t and don’t want to believe that Kobe Bryant is gone
By on January 26, 2020
The story is still developing. At the time I did this live, reports were saying he was survived by his wife and children. Apparently, when more information was provided it was confirmed that his 13 year old daughter Gianna was killed alongside her father. Also on board that were killed in the crash: Orange Coast College (OCC) baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and daughter, Alyssa; Christina Mauser, an assistant girls basketball coach at a K-8 private school in Orange County; Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton; and the pilot of the helicopter Ara Zobayan.
Our hearts and prayers go out to the Bryant family and to the families of those that perished in the crash with them and the entire NBA community.
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Hey everybody. Just like you, I can’t believe this news. I was getting ready to leave the house and an email came through from my boss. I couldn’t believe what I read as it was informing the KOIT staff of the reports that Kobe Bryant had passed. I even read the email a few times. I ran down the stairs calling out for my daughter Lexi who plays high school basketball. We were just talking about Kobe a few days ago!!!
At the time I called her name she too was calling mine as she saw something on her social media feed saying, “RIP KOBE”. I scrambled around to check reputable sources. As my daughter was in tears in the living room CNN put out a story confirming this horrible news. I found myself somewhat paralyzed. In the Facebook live video I did you can see this confused look on my face. I could barely speak. I just couldn’t believe I was even reporting this!!
Kobe did incredible things. As a result, at the early age of 17 he was drafted out of high school by the Charlotte Hornets and eventually traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Also, the Lakers retired both of his jerseys, #8 and #24. Bryant is undoubtedly one the best scorers in NBA history.
Icons of our time always time stamp what was going on in our lives. I can still remember exactly what I was doing when I heard the news of him being drafted and the news reporter said he was going pro. I was in the garage of my house and thinking how big an accomplishment that was. It was a big day in the NBA and of course for Kobe. I would have never imagined this day, reporting to all of you that he has been killed in a helicopter crash.
Rest in peace Kobe.
Kobe Bryant August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020.
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