| |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1, 2006 (Los Angeles, California) |
| Died | January 26, 2020 (aged 13) (Calabasas, California) |
| Career history | |
| 2011–2020 | Mamba Ballers |
Gianna Maria Onore Bryant also referred to as "Gigi", (May 1, 2006 – January 26, 2020) was an American middle school basketball player that attended Harbor Day School in Newport Beach, California
Bryant and her father Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant died on January 26, 2020, in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California.
Biography
Born in Los Angeles, California to Vanessa and Kobe Bryant, Gianna was raised with her older sister Natalia and two younger sisters, Bianka and Capri. Her mother was a model and her father won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. She was also the granddaughter of Joe Bryant and great-niece of John "Chubby" Cox.
Her father, Kobe, was the reason she started playing basketball. Bryant played basketball for the Mamba Sports Academy, where she was coached by her father until their tragic death. She played on the competitive team with the club at the U-10 through U-15 levels.
Bryant wanted to play college basketball at the power house University of Connecticut, she reguarly attended UConn, WNBA, and Lakers games with her father. She had a very close relationship with her father Kobe as she was usually always by her father's side. Kobe would talk about Gianna saying how she was female version of him.
"This kid, man... I'm telling you, The best thing that happens is when we go out, and fans will come up to me, and she'll be standing next to me, and they will be like, 'You gotta have a boy, you and V [wife Vanessa] gotta have a boy, man, to have somebody carry on the tradition, the legacy.' And [Gigi] is like, 'I got this!'" Bryant said. "That's right. Yes, you do. You got this."
Death
At 9:06 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on January 26, 2020, Gianna, Kobe, Gigi's 13-year-old teammates and friends Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, the friends' parents Keri and John Altobelli (head baseball coach at Orange Coast College) and Sarah Chester, as well as basketball coach Christina Mauser and pilot Ara Zobayan departed from John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California at 9:06 a.m. PST on January 26, 2020, in a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter, registration N72EX. They were heading to Gianna's basketball game at Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park. The Los Angeles Police Air Support Division had grounded its police helicopters on Sunday morning due to the poor weather conditions; Air Support Division rules require at least 2 miles (3.2 km) of visibility and an 800-foot (240 m) cloud ceiling. At the time that N72EX took off from SNA, visibility was 5 miles (8.0 km) with a cloud ceiling of 1,300 feet (400 m), and was operating under visual flight rules (VFR).
The helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California, at about 9:47 a.m. and caught fire.[12] Weather conditions were reported to be foggy.[11] Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters responded to the scene and extinguished the fire by 10:30.[12] All nine occupants were killed. Witnesses reported that the helicopter's engine was "sputtering" before the crash.[3][11] Others reported seeing it flying into the ground at a "fairly significant rate of speed." It is unclear whether a distress call was made.[7] The crash started a quarter-acre brush fire that was difficult to extinguish due to the presence of magnesium. The debris from the crash was scattered on steep terrain. Paramedics on board an air ambulance were hoisted down to the scene but could not locate any survivors.