Kobe Bryant

Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp dedicates win to Kobe Bryant

A five-time NBA champion, the Los Angeles Lakers great died aged 41 in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

After scoring two touchdowns in Sunday's win, Kupp was named the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player and wore a Lakers Bryant jersey during the Rams' trophy parade on Wednesday.

"Kobe is a part of this," said Kupp. "He belongs here, he set the standard."

In the six years since returning to LA from St Louis, the Rams have built a star-studded roster and beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 to claim the team's second Super Bowl win.

Kobe Bryant's widow agrees to settle lawsuit over helicopter crash

Bryant was joined in the case by families of the other six crash victims, who also agreed to the settlement. The deal resolves allegations against pilot Ara Zobayan, who also was killed, and Island Express Helicopters, the company that employed him, as well as another company involved in operating the flight.

The terms of the settlement are confidential, according to a notice filed in US District Court for the Central District of California.

Kobe Bryant formally inducted into Hall of Fame in postponed ceremony

The five-time NBA champion died, aged 41, in a helicopter crash in January 2020 alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.

He was presented at the ceremony in Connecticut by NBA great Michael Jordan and his widow, Vanessa, accepted his induction on his behalf.

In a speech, she said: "You did it, you're in the Hall of Fame now."

Vanessa Bryant added: "You're a true champ. You're not just an MVP, you are an all-time great. I'm so proud of you. I love you forever and always, Kobe Bean Bryant."

Kobe ends relationship with Nike

Bryant's widow, Vanessa, and Nike both released statements announcing the end of the deal.

"My hope will always be to allow Kobe's fans to get and wear his products," Vanessa Bryant said in her statement. "Kobe's products sell out in seconds. That says everything. I was hoping to forge a lifelong partnership with Nike that reflects my husband's legacy."

Kobe Bryant crash: Pilot 'likely disorientated amid fog'

The helicopter smashed into a hillside near Calabasas, California, on 26 January 2020.

Pilot Ara Zobayan was among the dead.

He had told air traffic controllers the helicopter was climbing out of heavy cloud when it was actually descending.

"This manoeuvre is consistent with the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation in limited visibility conditions," Robert Sumwalt, chairman of the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said on Tuesday.

LeBron James reflects on Kobe Bryant's warm welcome to Lakers

His friend Kobe Bryant was the last player to lead the Lakers there, and with his passing earlier this year, the team, city of Los Angeles and the basketball world as a whole are reflecting on past memories of Bryant.

LeBron and Kobe are among the biggest names in the league over the past few decades and both were friends and competitors who respected each other as people and as players. James says he has had one regret, and that's not spending more time with Bryant and wishes their busy schedules hadn't gotten in the way of a final dinner. 

Kobe Bryant's widow sues helicopter firm over deaths

Bryant, Gianna and seven others died when the helicopter they were in crashed in fog on 26 January.

In the lawsuit, Vanessa Bryant says the pilot was negligent for flying in such poor weather.

It was filed shortly before a memorial service held in Los Angeles.

Island Express Helicopters and the pilot, Ara George Zobayan, had a "duty to use that degree of care that an ordinarily careful and prudent pilot would use under the same or similar circumstances," the suit says.

Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna laid to rest in private California funeral

The two were laid to rest last Friday in Corona Del Mar, ahead of a Feb. 24 public memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for all nine victims of the Jan. 26 crash in Calabasas, according to Entertainment Tonight.

“Vanessa and the family wanted a private service to mourn their loss,” a source told ET. “The ceremony was extremely hard for everyone as it’s still hard for them to grasp they lost two beautiful souls.”

Kobe crash investigation revealed

NBA great Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianni were among nine people who tragically died when the aircraft they were travelling in came down in Calabasas, California last month.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Friday released its preliminary findings from the January 26 crash, revealing the two engines appeared to be working at the time of impact as a piece of cut tree branch was found 30 feet from the impact crater.

Kobe Bryant Memorial Is Planned for Staples Center on Feb. 24

A memorial for Kobe Bryant, who died with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other people in a helicopter crash last month, will be held at Staples Center, the arena where the N.B.A. legend played for most of his 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to a person familiar with the arrangements.