Kobe Bryant identified among recovered bodies in crash site

Bryant, who retired in 2016, is survived by his wife Vanessa, and daughters Natalia Diamante, Bianka Bella, and Capri Kobe. (File Photo: Erik Drost/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)

The remains of international basketball superstar Kobe Bryant was identified by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office on Tuesday, January 28, along with the three other bodies that were killed in the helicopter crash in Calabasas, California four days ago.

The medical examiners identified the NBA legend through the fingerprints from his body in the crash site near Los Angeles.

Among the other eight bodies that were recovered, the remains of the pilot Ara Zoraban, baseball coach John Altobelli and Sarah Chester were also identified by the investigators.

Bryant’s daughter, 13-year-old Gianna and the other five bodies are yet to be officially identified.

The basketball player and his daughter were traveling to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks where Gianna was set to play, along with seven other passengers, when the Sikorsky S-76 which was flying during a thick fog slammed on a hillside in Calabasas, California.

Jennifer Homendy, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, described the accident as a “high energy impact crash” and said that the helicopter did not have a “terrain awareness and warning system” installed.

Homendy also said that the final report containing the probable cause of the accident may not be confirmed yet and investigations may take up to 12-18 months.

Tributes for the Los Angeles Lakers Legend

The sudden death of the beloved basketball legend has brought the world of basketball into mourning, as Bryant served one of the pillars of basketball that fans look up to. Tributes from different parts of the world were set up to commemorate the late Los Angeles Lakers legend.

Tenement Visual Artists did their thing on this basketball court in the Philippines.#RIPMambaAndGianna ❤ pic.twitter.com/OQPbWrNgL8

— Ankur (@im_Ankur__) January 28, 2020

A mural was painted by fans in Tenement Court, Taguig City, Philippines, bearing the image of Bryant and his daughter Gigi. Bryant was a frequent visitor of the country and is beloved by many Filipino fans.

uptown mall in taguig city paid tribute to kobe bryant

ctto pic.twitter.com/u5dQ6YwmQs

— mac (@fidelbelike) January 27, 2020

Look how the Philippines pay tribute to Kobe. 💔💔💔

credit to uptown, sm moa, big dome & eastwood #RIPMamba #KobeBryant pic.twitter.com/ZRfOQ3IQQy

— greencomet (@mayel824) January 27, 2020

Buildings across the world also lit up the colors of purple and gold, the color of the Lakers team, and some bearing the number #24 and #2, Kobe and Gigi’s jersey numbers.

Different athletes also paid homage to the Black Mamba and his daughter by writing messages in their shoes worn during their game. The Cleveland Cavaliers also offered a 24.8 second silence for Kobe and Gianna.

The Cleveland Cavaliers pay tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, by holding a 24.8 second moment of silence. pic.twitter.com/JwW2FK44Ao

— NBA (@NBA) January 29, 2020

The Grammy Awards, which took place hours after the helicopter crash, also managed to pay tribute to Bryant, his jersey appearing in cameos in many of the artist’s performers and speeches.

Bryant, who retired in 2016, was survived by his wife Vanessa, and daughters Natalia Diamante, Bianka Bella, and Capri Kobe.