[Archive 2020-01-29] Former basketball player Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash, aged 41

Historical archive — originally published 2020-01-29. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

On Sunday morning, a helicopter with United States basketball player Kobe Bryant and eight others on board crashed in Calabasas, California, according to authorities. All people on board — Bryant aged 41, his daughter Gianna aged 13, and seven others — died in the crash.

On Twitter, Adrian Wojnarowski, US sport columnist from ESPN, said Bryant and Gianna were on their way to a basketball game, and the passengers also included another player and the player's parent.

The former National Basketball Association (NBA) player, Bryant, joined the NBA in 1996. He was chosen by the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA draft's first round. Before the season began, the Hornets traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant stayed with the Lakers for 20 years, becoming an NBA champion five times, an All-NBA first-team selection 11 times, a NBA Finals MVP (Most Valuable Player) twice, an NBA All-Star 18 times, including four times as All-Star MVP, and 2008 NBA MVP. He retired in 2016.

The city of Calabasas announced on Twitter the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were to investigate the cause of the crash.

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Text adapted from Former basketball player Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter crash, aged 41 by Wikinews contributors under CC BY 2.5. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. Contributor history.