Tributes have been pouring in for Kobe Bryant, after the NBA legend died in a helicopter crash that also claimed the lives of his 13-year-old daughter and 7 other people.
The Dallas Mavericks say they will permanently retire his number 24. In the Raptors-Spurs game in San Antonio, each team dribbled out the 24-second shot clock at the start of the game in honour of Bryant’s number.
Numerous artists paid their respects to Bryant at the Grammy Awards which were held last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where the 41-year-old played his entire 20-year career as a Laker.
In terms of the incident, U-S federal transportation safety officials say they will look at the pilot’s history, the helicopter’s maintenance records and the records of its owner and operator in their investigation into the crash outside Los Angeles that killed Bryant and eight others Sunday morning.
At the time of the crash, the foggy conditions were considered dangerous enough that local police agencies grounded their choppers. Rugged terrain is reported to be complicating efforts to recover the victims of the helicopter crash.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner says it will likely take at least a couple of days to complete that task before formal identifications can be made. The impact scattered debris over an area the size of a football field.
