Kobe Bryant and daughter die in helicopter crash

CALABASAS, CALIF. — Former National Basketball Association legend Kobe Bryant, along with four others, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died Sunday morning in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles, multiple media sources have confirmed.

There were no survivors.

Members of the Medical Lake High School girl’s basketball team were able to meet the basketball icon when they traveled to Cashmere on Jan. 11 for non-league games against the Bulldogs.

Bryant had attended the games to watch Bulldog senior phenom and Bryant protégé Hailey Van Lith play.

Van Lith had trained the previous summer with Bryant at his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, Calif., according to multiple news and social media sources.

Cardinal head coach Kyle Lundberg said he overheard that Bryant was next door to the Cards locker room after the game and, nothing ventured nothing gained, asked if the 6-foot-6 star would be willing to pose for a picture with the Cardinal girls.

“He was more than happy to do that,” Lundberg said during a post-game interview. “He shook hands with the girls and took the picture.”

Lundberg and the team were able to chat with Bryant for about five minutes, and thanked him for what he was doing for girls b-ball.

Bryant had been in in Philadelphia on Saturday to watch 76ers star LeBron James bump Bryant from his third-place spot on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. James’s record clicked up to 33,655 during the game, exceeding Bryant’s 33,643 points he had amassed during his 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Bryant retired in 2016. He was 41 years old when he died.

He is survived by his wife, Vanessa Bryant, 37, and daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3 and Capri, 7 months.

This is a developing story. See Thursday’s print edition for more.

Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com.