Rest in Peace Kobe and Gigi
Kobe Bean Bryant was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, Bryant played his entire 20-season career in the National Basketball Association with the Los Angeles Lakers. He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships.
Kobe Bryant has missed more shots in the regular season than any other player in NBA history. Goes to show - missing is also making .
Kobe Bryant has missed more shots in the regular season than any other player in NBA history. Goes to show - missing is also making .
The helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76 built in 1991, departed John Wayne Airport at 9:06 a.m. Sunday, according to publicly available flight records. The chopper passed over Boyle Heights, near Dodger Stadium, and circled over Glendale during the flight. The crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m. near Las Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street in Calabasas.
Gianna Bryant
Bryant’s daughter was seen as the heir to his basketball legacy and the former Lakers player was dedicated to preparing her for a career in the professional game. Gianna was a fixture at games at the Staples Center with her father and her ambition was to play for the UConn Huskies.
John Altobelli
A former University of Houston baseball player, Altobelli played in Minor League Baseball for the Miami Marlins before embarking on a coaching career with Orange State College, guiding the Pirates to state championships in 2009, 2014, 2015, and 2019. Last year he was named national coach of the year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and won his 700th game in the same season.
Keri Altobelli
John Altobelli’s wife and mother to J. J., Alexis and Alyssa Altobelli.
Alyssa Altobelli
Joan and Keri Altobelli’s daughter was 13 years old and a teammate of Gianna’s.
Christina Mauser
A former basketball coach at Harbour Day School in Newport Beach, where Gianna Bryant attended school. She was married with children.
Payton Chester
Also a teammate of Gianna Bryant
Sarah Chester
Payton Chester’s mother.
Ara Zobayan
The luxury aircraft was being flown by Ara Zobayan, who, according to records was an instrument-rated pilot — meaning he was qualified to fly in fog. Friends were mourning him on social media Sunday night, saying that he taught aspiring helicopter pilots to fly and that he was loved within the aviation community.
TMZ — which first reported Bryant’s death — said the helicopter belonged to Bryant, and that the group was en route to the Mamba Sports Academy in nearby Thousand Oaks for a basketball practice when the crash occurred.
Kurt Deetz, a former pilot for Island Express Helicopters, told the Los Angeles Times that the company owns the vehicle. He said flew Bryant from 2014 to 2016, and that 90% of the time, Bryant flew in the helicopter — a favorite of celebrities for its reputation of being comfortable and safe — which went down Sunday morning.
Deetz told the paper he logged more than 1,000 hours piloting the craft and said Bryant favored the model, comparing it to a “a Cadillac; a limousine,” that it was in “fantastic” condition, and that Island Express adheres to “a very good maintenance program.”
The helicopter took off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County at 9:06 a.m., records show. The crash occurred in foggy conditions.
FOX
Bryant’s daughter was seen as the heir to his basketball legacy and the former Lakers player was dedicated to preparing her for a career in the professional game. Gianna was a fixture at games at the Staples Center with her father and her ambition was to play for the UConn Huskies.
John Altobelli
A former University of Houston baseball player, Altobelli played in Minor League Baseball for the Miami Marlins before embarking on a coaching career with Orange State College, guiding the Pirates to state championships in 2009, 2014, 2015, and 2019. Last year he was named national coach of the year by the American Baseball Coaches Association and won his 700th game in the same season.
Keri Altobelli
John Altobelli’s wife and mother to J. J., Alexis and Alyssa Altobelli.
Alyssa Altobelli
Joan and Keri Altobelli’s daughter was 13 years old and a teammate of Gianna’s.
Christina Mauser
A former basketball coach at Harbour Day School in Newport Beach, where Gianna Bryant attended school. She was married with children.
Payton Chester
Also a teammate of Gianna Bryant
Sarah Chester
Payton Chester’s mother.
Ara Zobayan
The luxury aircraft was being flown by Ara Zobayan, who, according to records was an instrument-rated pilot — meaning he was qualified to fly in fog. Friends were mourning him on social media Sunday night, saying that he taught aspiring helicopter pilots to fly and that he was loved within the aviation community.
TMZ — which first reported Bryant’s death — said the helicopter belonged to Bryant, and that the group was en route to the Mamba Sports Academy in nearby Thousand Oaks for a basketball practice when the crash occurred.
Kurt Deetz, a former pilot for Island Express Helicopters, told the Los Angeles Times that the company owns the vehicle. He said flew Bryant from 2014 to 2016, and that 90% of the time, Bryant flew in the helicopter — a favorite of celebrities for its reputation of being comfortable and safe — which went down Sunday morning.
Deetz told the paper he logged more than 1,000 hours piloting the craft and said Bryant favored the model, comparing it to a “a Cadillac; a limousine,” that it was in “fantastic” condition, and that Island Express adheres to “a very good maintenance program.”
The helicopter took off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County at 9:06 a.m., records show. The crash occurred in foggy conditions.
FOX
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