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Kobe Bryant Has Died In A Helicopter Crash 

     Basketball legend Kobe Bryant died Sunday morning in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Southern California. One of the former star player's four daughters, Gianna Maria, also died. She was 13 years old. 

     Bryant, 41, spent 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. A five-time champion, he is one of only seven players to have scored more than 30,000 career points.   

     The players, coaches, and families at the Mamba Academy were obviously emotional when they heard the news about Kobe's death ... but came together for a moment of silence and prayer.

     Some of the Academy leaders addressed everyone at the facility -- encouraging them to support each other, grieve together and honor Kobe by living good, quality lives.

     Bryant, the father of four children, including a daughter who also died in the accident, was the star of the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years, a franchise with which he won five NBA titles.

     The Los Angeles Times reports foggy conditions in the Calabasas area. The accident of the former player's private helicopter occurred shortly before 10:00 a.m. in California. It started a fire that made it difficult for firefighters to get to the crash site.

     According to TMZ, Bryant, a father of four, was on board his private helicopter with four other people on Sunday morning when it suddenly went down and burst into flames. No one survived the crash. The cause of the accident is not yet known.  

Bryant played his last game in April 2016. At the time of his retirement, the "Black Mamba", champion in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010, MVP in 2008, held no less than nine NBA records.

Retired from the floor since 2016, Bryant was the third-highest scorer in NBA history until yesterday, before being overtaken by rival LeBron James in Saturday's 108-91 Philadelphia Laker loss. 

"Kobe was immortal offensively because of his ability (to score a lot). And here I am here in Philadelphia, wearing the (same) Lakers jersey. The universe sometimes provokes these things... It's not supposed to make sense, but it just happens," LBJ said after the game on Saturday night.