Kobe Bryant, the 18-time NBA All-Star who won five championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died along with eight other people in a helicopter crash Sunday.

A person familiar with the case confirmed to the Associated Press that Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna also perished.

The crash, on a hillside near Las Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street in Calabasas, was called in at 9:47 a.m., according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department official. Records show the Sikorsky S-76 helicopter had taken off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County at 9:06 a.m.

There were nine people on board the helicopter, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. There were no survivors, he said.

The Orange County Register reported that Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli was also among those killed. Altobelli’s daughter Alyssa Altobelli and wife Keri Altobelli also died, according to CNN.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said it was not known what caused the wreck.

In this July 26, 2018 file photo former Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna watch during the U.S. national championships swimming meet in Irvine, Calif. AP photo by Chris Carlson.
In this July 26, 2018 file photo former Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna watch during the U.S. national championships swimming meet in Irvine, Calif. AP photo by Chris Carlson.

Bryant, 41, lived in Newport Beach for much of his adult life, and he often used helicopters to save time and avoid Southern California’s notorious traffic. Even as a player, he often traveled to practices and games by helicopter, and he kept up the practice after retirement as he attended to his business ventures.

Colin Storm was in his living room in Calabasas when he heard “what sounded like a low-flying airplane or helicopter.”

“It was very foggy so we couldn’t see anything,” he said. “But then we heard some sputtering, and then a boom.”

A short time later the fog cleared a bit and Storm could see smoke rising from the hillside in front of his home.

The National Transportation Safety Board sent a “go team” of investigators to the crash site. The NTSB typically issues a preliminary report within about 10 days that will give a rough summary of what investigators have learned. A ruling on the cause can take a year or more.

“They will look at man, machine and environment,” said Gary C. Robb, an aviation attorney in Kansas City who wrote a textbook on helicopter-crash litigation.

Firefighters work the scene of a helicopter crash where former NBA star Kobe Bryant died, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020, in Calabasas, Calif. AP photo by Mark J. Terrill.

“They will look at the pilot—was there any indication of fatigue, any indication of a training issue? They’ll scour his or her record,” Robb said. “They will look at this helicopter from stem to stern. They will take the engine to the NTSB metallurgical laboratory outside Washington, D.C., and examine it to see if there was something that malfunctioned in flight.”

Investigators will also consider what role might have been played by weather, terrain, radio towers or bird strikes, he said.

Robb said he has handled many cases involving Sikorsky S-76 crashes and regards the machine as having a good reputation.

“It is generally regarded as a good helicopter with a good safety record,” he said, “but parts fail, parts break. Anything can happen.”

Bryant made his professional basketball debut in Long Beach at the Walter Pyramid in July 1996 when he was in the summer pro league.

After the 17-year-old Bryant scored 27 points in 26 minutes during a 123-113 loss to Detroit, Pistons coach Alvin Gentry said: “I don’t want to compare anyone to Michael Jordan, but I’ll call [Bryant] Jordanesque. I have never seen a better player his age at his position.”

Two weeks later, Bryant signed a $3.65 million deal with the Lakers.

Bryant teamed with Shaquille O’Neal in a combustible partnership to lead the Lakers to NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He later teamed with Pau Gasol to win two more titles in 2009 and 2010. He was twice named MVP of the finals.

He retired in 2016 as the third-leading scorer in NBA history—a spot he held until Saturday night, when the Lakers’ LeBron James passed him for third place during a game in Philadelphia, Bryant’s hometown.

“Continuing to move the game forward (at)KingJames,” Bryant wrote in his last tweet. “Much respect my brother.”

Bryant looms large over the current generation of NBA players. After James passed Bryant on Saturday, he remembered listening to Bryant when the superstar came to speak at a childhood basketball camp.

“I remember one thing he said: If you want to be great at it, or want to be one of the greats, you’ve got to put the work in,” James said. “There’s no substitution for work.”

James later teamed up with Bryant on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team in Beijing.

“He had zero flaws offensively,” James said. “Zero. You backed off of him, he could shoot the 3. You body him up a little bit, he could go around you. He could shoot from mid-range. He could post. He could make free throws. … He was just immortal offensively because of his skill set and his work ethic.”

In 2003, Bryant was charged with attacking a 19-year-old employee at a Colorado resort. He had said the two had consensual sex. Prosecutors later dropped the felony sexual assault charge against Bryant at the request of the accuser.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new information including that there were nine people on board the helicopter, more than the five previously reported.

City News Service and writer contributed to this report.