Indian cricketing stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma expressed their shock and paid tribute to the legendary NBA player, Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in suburban Los Angeles. The retired LA Lakers star, 41, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others died early on Sunday in the crash on a hillside in Calabasas, northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
Virat and Rohit, who are currently with the Indian team on tour of New Zealand, took to Instagram to mourn Kobe Bryant with India captain saying that he was “absolutely devastated” by the news.
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Bollywood stars like Ranveer Singh, Abhishek Bachchan, Lara Dutta, Arjun Kapoor among others also paid tribute to the NBA legend.
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Bryant, 41, was traveling with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers and crew when their Sikorsky S-76 helicopter slammed into a rough hillside in Calabasas and unfortunately no-one managed to survive the crash. He was a five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist Bryant is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game.
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Dozens of firefighters and paramedics battled across steep terrain to stop the firestorm at the crash site but failed to find any survivors, officials said. Some 200 people also gathered on Sunday at the foot of the hill closest to the crash site, many of them wearing Bryant jerseys. Others turned out to pay tribute near the Lakers practice facility on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
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Fans and players at the National Football League’s Pro Bowl game in Orlando, Florida, observed a moment of silence to commemorate the Lakers star with the crowd afterwards chanting “Kobe, Kobe.” In New York, the Madison Square Garden ceiling was awash in purple and gold — the Lakers colors — to honor Bryant ahead of the Knicks and Nets game.
