When the Los Angeles Lakers arrived home, basketball star LeBron James was overcome with emotion at the tragic news of their former teammate and legend, Kobe Bryant’s death in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
The Lakers team had just returned from Philadelphia after a game, where LeBron James had surpassed Kobe Bryant’s scoring record, making him the third-leading scorer in NBA history.
In a poignant moment, an emotional LeBron James was captured on footage crying while embracing a female official on the tarmac before walking away to compose himself.
Kobe Bryant, 41, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others, lost their lives in the helicopter crash on a remote, steep hillside in Southern California.
The crash occurred in Calabasas, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles, en route to Bryant’s Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks for basketball practice.
Other victims of the crash included John Altobelli, a baseball coach at Orange County College, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa, as well as girls basketball coach Christina Mauser.
Watch the video below.
LeBron James couldn’t believe the news of Kobe’s passing…. 😢 pic.twitter.com/rR3ihSEzX1
— Sports ON Tap Hoops (@SONTHoops) January 27, 2020