Los Angeles woke up to tragedy and shock on the morning of January 27nd, when Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and 7 others were killed in a helicopter crash. The helicopter took off at John Wayne airport on a foggy Sunday morning flying in a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter to get to a basketball game being coached by Kobe. Once the helicopter flew over Calabasas, the pilot experienced difficulties flying through the fog, which can be disorienting for pilots. The pilot signaled for a distress call but it was too late, the helicopter hit the hillside at 176 miles-per-hour in which no one survived. Reports say that the helicopter lacked a key warning system and some say that the flight was too dangerous considering how risky it is to fly in such foggy conditions.

Kobe’s death was tragic not just for him dying at a young age, but the family that he left behind with his daughter. Kobe’s wife Vanessa had this to say about Kobe and Gianna, “There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now. I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.”  Shaquille O’Neal also had something to say about the death of his former teammate saying, “There are no words to express the pain I’m going through with this tragedy of losing my niece Gigi & my brother @kobebryant I love u and u will be missed,” O’Neal tweeted. “My condolences go out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. I’m sick right now.”

In his career, Kobe won three NBA championships, won four all-star MVP awards, went on to receive two Olympic gold medals in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, he became the oldest player to score 60 in a single game and set the highest point total in the 2015-16 regular season, and inspired many basketball players around the world. Kobe Bryant will go down as one of the best and most legendary players of the NBA and will be missed not just by his fellow teammates but everyone who saw him and experienced him in our culture.