‘The worst news’: Political world mourns loss of Kobe Bryant

Condolences from the political and media world poured following the stunning news of the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant on Sunday.

Bryant reportedly died in a helicopter crash that occurred 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles near Calabasas, Calif.

TMZ, which first broke the news, also reported that Bryant’s daughter, Gianna Maria, along with three other people, were also killed in the crash. Other news outlets have yet to identify the other passengers on board beside Bryant. 

The 5-time NBA champion was 41. He entered the NBA in 1996 right out of high school. The 11-time All-Star retired following the 2015-2016 season and played his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers.  

BREAKING: Kobe Bryant Has Died In A Helicopter Crash https://t.co/42oINV9ZUU

— TMZ (@TMZ) January 26, 2020

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

Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 26, 2020

#ripkobe

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 26, 2020

הצטערתי לשמוע על הטרגדיה בארה״ב, יום עצוב לכל אוהבי הספורט בעולם.
קובי בריאנט, מגדולי הכדורסלנים בהיסטוריה, נהרג היום בהתרסקות מסוק בקלבסאס שבקליפורניה. הותיר אחריו אישה, ארבעה ילדים, ומיליוני חובבי כדורסל בעולם. לא יישכח. מי יתן שינוח על משכבו בשלום pic.twitter.com/Y5FGI5D6rZ

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) January 26, 2020

Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest players the game has ever known.

My thoughts are with his family, his city, and the entire NBA community. https://t.co/0Ef9sZeWy7

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) January 26, 2020

Deeply shocked at the news of Kobe Bryant and four others lost today.

Sending all my thoughts to their families and loved ones in this devastating moment. https://t.co/1bgEhj2AhA

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 26, 2020

This is the worst news. Kobe is an all-time great who had his entire life ahead of him. My heart goes out to his family, his fans and the millions of people whose lives he touched. Today Kobe is the greatest of all time. https://t.co/saR4dJ7412

— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) January 26, 2020

I don’t have any words, and I’m not going to manufacture any. We can talk about the problem of evil later. But I want to say: I used to watch interviews of Kobe, conducted in Italian. (He did much of his growing up in Italy.) So enjoyable. An athlete for the ages. More later.

— Jay Nordlinger (@jaynordlinger) January 26, 2020

To all of my friends, thank you. Each of you have shared part of yourself with me and made my life better. I have tried to do the same. If you were here I would hug you like I just hugged my family. It hurts that it takes a tragedy to remind us of our mortality.#hugyourfriends

— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) January 26, 2020