30 second read. Written by a grade 7 student

26^th January was a sad day for basketball. One of the world’s best known players – and basketball superstar – Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna died in a helicopter crash in California in America.

Who was Kobe Bryant?

Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player who played for The National Basketball Association (NBA) – which is a men’s professional basketball league in North America, that has 30 teams. It is the best men’s basketball league in the world and all its players are extremely talented and very famous.

Kobe Bryant was considered to be one of the greatest players in the game’s history. He was a five-time NBA champion for his team, called the Los Angeles Lakers. He was also a double Olympic gold medallist.

How did the helicopter crash

It’s not clear. The weather was bad and it crashed in some mountains near Los Angeles. There were seven people on the flight. He was on his way to coach his daughter, Gianna’s basketball team in a local tournament. She also died in the crash and was a really good basketball player as well.