NBA legend Kobe Bryant among 5 people confirmed dead in California helicopter crash, reports say. Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant, five-time NBA champion and 18-time NBA All-Star, died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday at the age of 41, according to ESPN, The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. The crash took place in Calabasas, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. The county Sheriff's Department said all five people aboard were killed and that the investigation was continuing. Ref. USAToday.
Kobe Bryant's helicopter engine did not fail, federal investigators say in preliminary report. Wreckage from the helicopter that crashed last month and killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others did not show any evidence of engine failure, according to a preliminary investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The initial findings will be followed by a final investigative report in about a year. Ref. USAToday.
Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in January, among nine Basketball Hall of Fame inductees. Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan -- who combined to win 11 titles and four MVP awards -- as well as Tamika Catchings, Rudy Tomjanovich and others are among the 2020 HOF class. Ref. USAToday.