BREAKING: Kobe Bryant Killed in Helicopter Crash
[guest post JVW]
UPDATE: I alluded to it in the original post, but we apparently now have heartbreaking confirmation from ESPN that Kobe’s thirteen-year-old daughter Gianna was also killed in the crash. They were traveling to one of her youth league basketball games.
—— Original Post ——
Just a sad, sad story. Details here.
Some unconfirmed information is trickling out, but I don’t want to report it here until we have it confirmed by the proper authorities.
– JVW
UPDATE BY PATTERICO: Authorities are now reporting that nine people died in all.
When a celebrity dies, it’s always interesting to see what kind of prominence it is given in the foreign press, especially if it’s an American celebrity who plays a sport that is mostly dominated by Americans.
Kobe Bryant is currently the lead story on the BBC’s website and the Sky News website. It’s in the second position on the France24 news website. In soccer-crazy Germany he is not on the homepage of Deutsche Welle, but it is a lead story on their sports section. TASS in Russia has not yet mentioned it.
JVW (54fd0b) — 1/26/2020 @ 1:21 pmJust horrible.
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Dept. will be providing details into the crash at a press conference at 2:00 PST today.
Per ESPN:
Dana (8ef71a) — 1/26/2020 @ 1:22 pmUPDATE: I alluded to it in the original post, but we apparently now have heartbreaking confirmation from ESPN that Kobe’s thirtee-year-old daughter Gianna was also killed in the crash. They were traveling to one of her youth league basketball games.
JVW (54fd0b) — 1/26/2020 @ 1:28 pmYes, it’s quite sad. Tragic. But four other people also perished whose lives were as valuable as that of a basketball player.
As this event plays out, it shows us America’s “Celebrity Culture” in a nutshell: KNX News Radio out of LA reported Kobe’s death as one of those moments “you’ll remember where you were when and you heard like the JFK assassination…”
No. It’s sad in the immediate, but this isn’t like Pearl Harbor or 9/11 or a presidential assassination– or a space shuttle exploding in the sky on live television in front of the nation’s school children. Don’t have the particulars memorized of the days Payne Stewart and those who died with him, or Thurmon Munson… or Princess Diana or Martin Luther King or Robert Kennedy when they left us; don’t pine for particulars of the days Arnold Palmer, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Knute Rockne… or Will Rogers… or Amelia Earhart, etc., left us. Aside from myself and a core group of interested others, few care about ‘where they were’ when they got word of the Apollo fire, either.
But history will certainly remember what Trump tweets about this tragedy – just as it remembers what he doesn’t remember about what happened at Pearl Harbor.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 1:35 pmDaughter died as well– going to a BB tourney game by chopper. Just sad. Condolences to the families of all.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 1:37 pmKNX News Radio out of LA reported Kobe’s death as one of those moments “you’ll remember where you were when and you heard like the JFK assassination…”
Some people will, just like some people here in the U.S. still have indelible memories of the death of a ex-British princess or the son and namesake of a former U.S. President. Yes, most of us won’t remember this moment beyond a year or two, but some will.
JVW (54fd0b) — 1/26/2020 @ 1:53 pm“
Kobe Bryant is currently the lead story on the BBC’s website and the Sky News website. It’s in the second position on the France24 news website. In soccer-crazy Germany he is not on the homepage of Deutsche Welle, but it is a lead story on their sports section. TASS in Russia has not yet mentioned it.”
I wonder how the Italian press is treating it, considering the connections.
harkin (d6cfee) — 1/26/2020 @ 1:53 pm_
A Washington Post reporter took this opportunity to Tweet out a reminder of the Kobe Bryant rape case from ten years ago. Check out the Tweet before it is deleted with an insincere apology. Yes, that too is a part of his legacy, and I will mention it in a later post, but this isn’t the right time.
JVW (54fd0b) — 1/26/2020 @ 1:55 pm@1.The NBA is ‘big’ in the PRC– [depending on what gets said by players and management] so how they play it will be interesting to observe.
Nike-memorial-Kobe-foundation-shoes in the stores by Christmas, perhaps?
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 1:57 pmI wonder how the Italian press is treating it, considering the connections.
It’s the leading story on the website of the newspaper with the largest circulation in Italy.
JVW (54fd0b) — 1/26/2020 @ 1:58 pmNike-memorial-Kobe-foundation-shoes in the stores by Christmas, perhaps?
I don’t want to even think about how gross Nike will be with this tragedy.
JVW (54fd0b) — 1/26/2020 @ 1:59 pmWaPo gonna WaPo.
harkin (d6cfee) — 1/26/2020 @ 2:00 pm_
@26. Some… oh yes, when Billy Martin died was memorable; Christmas night, ’89; was doing kitchen clean-up when it came over the radio; immediate thought: no more Martin/Steinbrenner Lite beer commercials.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 2:02 pm^6.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 2:03 pmProof that money cannot buy everything. That was a 16 million dollar aircraft, and he had lots of experience in the air.
RIP to his family and friends.
Simon Jester (9ac1a0) — 1/26/2020 @ 2:03 pm10, now that might be a distraction to some of the Italian press who may not relish covering 2 possible Salvini-backed provincial victories.
R.IP. Kobe
urbanleftbehind (a29337) — 1/26/2020 @ 2:03 pm@11. Yes, nauseating… you know they’ll do something to profit off it— that’s the ‘celebrity culture’ we’ve created. And if there’s enough $ in it, the family may just buy into it, too. Maybe– maybe not.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 2:06 pm“ It’s the leading story on the website of the newspaper with the largest circulation in Italy.“
That figures. I still remember hearing him speaking fluent Italian to a reporter postgame.
harkin (d6cfee) — 1/26/2020 @ 2:06 pmSad. Doesn’t seem to have been weather, something wrong with helicopter.
rcocean (1a839e) — 1/26/2020 @ 2:25 pm@19. It’s been unusually foggy/misty in SoCal up and down the coast the past day or two.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 2:44 pmWaPo reporter doubles down:
Felicia Sonmez
@feliciasonmez
·
Kobe Bryant’s Disturbing Rape Case: The DNA Evidence, the Accuser’s Story, and the Half-Confession https://thedailybeast.com/kobe-bryants-disturbing-rape-case-the-dna-evidence-the-accusers-story-and-the-half-confession
__ _
Felicia Sonmez
@feliciasonmez
Well, THAT was eye-opening. To the 10,000 people (literally) who have commented and emailed me with abuse and death threats, please take a moment and read the story — which was written 3+ years ago, and not by me. Any public figure is worth remembering in their totality
__ _
becky mayo
@justanurse25
·
Written three years ago….posted by you today.
__ _
Stephen Miller
@redsteeze
·
Yes Felicia, you’re the victim today. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
_
WaPo probably checking the click count before deciding whether this warrants a bonus.
harkin (d6cfee) — 1/26/2020 @ 2:52 pm_
MEANWHILE:
“Trump was tweeting incorrect information about the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash as rockets were reported hitting the US embassy in Baghdad. Trump tweeted:
‘Reports are that basketball great Kobe Bryant and three others have been killed in a helicopter crash in California. That is terrible news! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 26, 2020’
This is what was going on as Trump was tweeting inaccurate Kobe Bryant news: #BREAKING Of five rockets fired, three made a direct hit on the US embassy in Baghdad, according to a security source pic.twitter.com/pNBg7JqZxd — AFP news agency (@AFP) January 26, 2020′ – source,PoliticsUSA
____________
(Bloomberg) — Five Katyusha rockets were fired at the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad Sunday night, one directly hitting the U.S. Embassy building, Iraq’s security forces reported.
U.S. helicopters were seen evacuating injured people, al-Sumaria News reported, citing an anonymous security official.
The State Department released a statement that did not comment on any injuries or deaths.” -source, Bloomberg News
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 4:04 pmWait till you get to where he re-worded Obama’s message on Kobe.
Prediction: TDS implosion.
harkin (d6cfee) — 1/26/2020 @ 4:25 pm8. 1:55 pm PST
I clicked on it now, and saw:
Sorry, that page doesn’t exist!
The URL indicates it is by feliciasonmez
Sammy Finkelman (083d4c) — 1/26/2020 @ 4:33 pm@8. Don’t think it’s out of line for you to bring it up, JVW. Not in this day and age– especially as the TeeVee accolades are layering on the family guy cloak.
He’s wasn’t squeaky clean [who is?!]– and, of course, Dead Ted wasn’t even cold before Mary Jo was mentioned. If you live and prosper in the limelight, you die in that same glaring limelight in 21st century USA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Bryant_sexual_assault_case
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 4:33 pmMedia vultures feed on corpses just like regular vultures.
nk (1d9030) — 1/26/2020 @ 4:37 pm@26. The Beast needs fed– 24/7,365.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 4:39 pmWhat exactly is inaccurate about what Trump tweeted?
Bored Lawyer (56c962) — 1/26/2020 @ 4:45 pm@28. You should ask that of PoliticsUSA about that, but the LA County Sheriff presser says nine were killed. He really should just knock off the tweeting– fat chance of that, though.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 4:49 pmYesterday night,Lebron James passed Kobe Bryant for third place in the all time NBA scoring list.
‘https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/lakers/2020/01/26/lebron-james-reflects-on-kobe-bryant-nba-scoring-list/4579971002/
They are now reporting that nine (9) people died in that crash.
They may have initially reported five in all because people outside knew their identities. Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli and his wife and daughter Alyssa, who was on Kobe Bryant’s team, were also known to be on that helicopter. None of the remains have been identified by authorities.
Helicopters aren’t all that safe.
It was a Sikorsky S-76. A quarter acre fire broke out upon impact, and they couldn’t immediately get to the helicopter. A 9-1-1 call was received at 9:47 a.m. local time. (12:47 Eastern)
There was fog and overcast skies. Which may or may not be relevant. According to TMZ, the chopper slammed into a mountain in the fog. Which means the pilot was lost.
Sammy Finkelman (083d4c) — 1/26/2020 @ 5:02 pm28. Bored Lawyer (56c962) — 1/26/2020 @ 4:45 pm
he number of people killed.
Even at the time, they were saying Kobe Bryant and four others, or maybe Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna and three others, and Trump tweeted “Kobe Bryant and three others.”
Proof, I suppose, that Trump never does his homework.
Sammy Finkelman (083d4c) — 1/26/2020 @ 5:06 pmProof that his only comparison to Sampson is “the jawbone of an ass”, I’d say.
nk (1d9030) — 1/26/2020 @ 5:11 pmTrump got the number of people killed in the crash wrong, just like about a million other people today.
Should probably add this to the Articles Of Impeachment.
harkin (d6cfee) — 1/26/2020 @ 5:15 pm_
Breaking news- Alert security: 11 minutes in, a white guy w/guitar walk on to Grammy stage.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 5:15 pm@33. That’s one way to make it about him.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/26/2020 @ 5:17 pmThey may have initially reported five in all because people outside knew their identities. Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli and his wife and daughter Alyssa, who was on Kobe Bryant’s team, were also known to be on that helicopter. None of the remains have been identified by authorities.
Yes. Coach Altotbelli was well known and liked in the baseball community. He had led OCC to two state junior college championships and had sent three of this players to the major leagues. He also coached the Brewster team in the Cape Cod league for a few summers, so he clearly had a strong reputation on the national level as well. RIP to him and his family. He has two surviving children who now have lost both of their parents; I don’t know their ages.
JVW (54fd0b) — 1/26/2020 @ 5:22 pmA couple of weeks ago, Kobe and his daughter showed up in tiny Cashmere, Washington to cheer on one of girls he spent some time training last summer. He had so much to offer in retirement, and it’s all the more tragic that his daughter and seven others also perished.
Paul Montagu (e1b5a7) — 1/26/2020 @ 5:26 pm“According to TMZ, the chopper slammed into a mountain in the fog. Which means the pilot was lost.”
People on the ground thought the Chopper was having mechanical trouble. It didn’t sound right and was making unusual engine sounds.
rcocean (1a839e) — 1/26/2020 @ 5:35 pmflynfixx (c89a51) — 1/26/2020 @ 11:17 pm
People on the ground thought the Chopper was having mechanical trouble. It didn’t sound right and was making unusual engine sounds.
1) in the entire history of that model, only one accident has been caused by equipment failure (a rotor broke). It has two engines and either will suffice.
2) People on the ground couldn’t see squat, it was overcast. But people WILL say anything to see themselves on TV.
3) It flew into a hill, with the proverbial “Oh, Sh1t!” attempt to climb.
Yes, he was lost — he had asked ATC for some help — but one of these days they ought to put GPS into these things.
Kevin M (19357e) — 1/27/2020 @ 8:19 pmThe New York Post has a front page story, with timeline and diagram on a map, of what went wrong. It coud be oartly the fault of air traffic control, as well as the pilot not deciding that air traffic control doesn’t know enough about the situation.
He had been told to stay in place, and to go low, and follow the freeways and then that he was too low for radar, and was climbing. He was trying to switch between freeways.
Here;s the whole tragic event laid out for you:
https://nypost.com/2020/01/27/inside-the-final-flight-of-the-doomed-helicopter-carrying-kobe-bryant
Kobe Bryant, but maybe not the pilot, had flown that route many times.
Sammy Finkelman (083d4c) — 1/28/2020 @ 9:10 amI found a great y8 bear and cat marine balls on the net. I would recommend everyone surfing the site!
ariana pham (5bc8c4) — 1/29/2020 @ 5:55 pmA slam-dunk?!
Okay… too soon.
DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/29/2020 @ 6:06 pm