Five years have passed since the death of Kobe Bryant, the undeniable symbol of the NBA and the Los Angeles Lakers, who continue to cherish the legacy of this man who gave the franchise five championship titles. On January 26, 2020, the tragic news of his death at the age of 41, in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, alongside eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, shocked the world of sport.
The shocking incident sent waves of grief across the sporting community, mourning the loss of a player renowned for his unyielding competitive spirit. A five-time NBA champion and fourth-leading scorer in league history with 33,643 points, Bryant also proudly represented the United States by winning two Olympic gold medals.
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Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Bryant’s success extended beyond the court, as he won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for his project “Dear Basketball” (2017).
After a distinguished twenty-year career with the Lakers, Bryant retired in 2016, having established himself as the heart and soul of the franchise. His triumphant run includes three consecutive titles from 2000 to 2002 alongside Shaquille O’Neal, as well as two more crowns with his “brother” Pau Gasol in 2009 and 2010, marking a glorious era for the Lakers.
Those victories remain etched in the memories of Lakers fans, who have only seen their team win one more title — during the pandemic-affected season in 2020 — since Bryant’s departure.
Although LeBron James continues to break longevity records with the Lakers, the franchise has found itself in a precarious situation, struggling to compete with the other top teams in the league in recent seasons.
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On that fateful day in January 2020, Kobe Bryant, Gianna and seven others boarded a helicopter in Orange County, headed to Ventura County. That day, dense fog led the pilot, Ara Zobayan, to lose his orientation, leading to the tragic accident in the Calabasas mountain region around 9:45 a.m. local time.
Investigators concluded that Zobayan, who also lost his life in the crash, failed to follow standard safety protocols by flying in very limited visibility conditions. In these scenarios, pilots may misinterpret altitude changes, feeling like they are gaining height when they are, in fact, descending.
Kobe’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, filed a lawsuit against the helicopter company, which ended in 2023 with a $28.85 million settlement.
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Kobe’s presence is still felt around the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where the Lakers have erected two statues in his honor. The first statue, unveiled on February 8, 2024, depicts Bryant wearing the number 8, in homage to one of the most spectacular nights of his career against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, where he scored 81 points — still today the second highest points scored in a single game in NBA history, behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points.
The second statue was unveiled on August 2 last year, featuring the legendary goalkeeper alongside his daughter Gianna. In addition, Vanessa Bryant announced her intention to create a third statue dedicated to her husband, which will represent him with the number 24.
