South Idaho Team Scheduled To Play At Kobe Bryant’s Gym Back Home
By now, the majority of the world has heard the news of the helicopter crash that killed nine people, including retired Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, in Southern California Sunday morning. It turns out one of the teams waiting to play in the tournament was visiting from Boise. Bryant was en route to his basketball academy with others.
Like many of you, I spent most of Sunday in disbelief, flipping around the different news networks as details of the crash were reported. My daughter told me what had happened just after 11 a.m., a little more than an hour (California time) after the helicopter slammed into a hillside in Calabasas, while I was preparing to do some chores. For the next 10 hours, I couldn't take my eyes off the television.
Bryant was headed with his daughter and seven others, including the pilot, to a tournament at the late basketball star's Mamba Academy. One of the teams scheduled to compete that day was from Boise, according to details shared by idahonews.com. The team is back in Boise now after the planned event was canceled due to the shocking news.
Southern California police and fire were alerted to a grass fire at approximately 9:45 a.m., Sunday, which was started by the crash. Kobe Bryant was 41-years-old, and his daughter, Gianna, was just 13. Poor flying weather is thought to be a contributing factor in the crash. Calabasas is located 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
The girl's team from Boise had played in previous tournaments at the academy. Gianna was an up and coming basketball player who played on a team that her father helped coach. The crash is still under investigation.