Kobe Bryant And Daughter Gianna Honored By Brooklyn Nets With Empty Courtside Seats And Flowers

Jan 30, 2020 by apost team

On Sunday, NBA champion, Kobe Bryant, passed away in a devastating helicopter crash. Tragically, the basketball legend’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also among the nine people on board who all lost their lives. The group was on their way to Gianna’s basketball game when the crash occurred.

In honor of Kobe and Gianna’s lives the Brooklyn Nets Basketball team reserved two seats on their bench with yellow and purple flowers. 

Kobe Bryant owned his own private Sikorsky S-76 helicopter according to Entertainment Tonight. The NBA legend used helicopter transportation so he could beat L.A. traffic and spend more time with his family. 

The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the basketball star was traveling on an S-76 helicopter Sunday morning when it crashed into a hillside in Calabasas, California, as per the Washington Post. Bryant was traveling with his 13-year-old daughter Giana “GiGi” Bryant,  another six passengers, and a pilot. There were no survivors.

apost.com

On Wednesday night at the Barclays Center where the Nets were set to face off against the Detroit Pistons, a short two-minute video was played on the big screen. The video featured Kobe Bryant's amazing basketball skills and tender moments between he and his daughter Gianna.  

Afterward, the announcer read the names of the other victims who passed away in the helicopter accident on Sunday. At the end of the special ceremony, a spotlight shined on two seats on the Net's courtside seats that had bouquets of flowers on them. The seats were the same ones Kobe and Gianna had sat in when they attended a game on December 21st. 

Gianna was an avid basketball player and had a dream of playing in the WNBA. In the 2018 interview, Kobe gushed over his 13-year-old daughter whose basketball team he coached. Kimmel asked Kobe, "Do you think your daughter might wanna play in the WNBA?" Kobe replied, "She does for sure. This kid, man. Dude, man, I’m telling you." Kobe told Kimmel about how he had a great time bringing Gianna to a Lakers game. "We just had so much fun because it was the first time I was seeing the game through her eyes," Bryant said. 

"It wasn’t me sitting there you know as an athlete or a player or something like that, and you know it’s like about me, and I don’t like that. It was her. She was having such a good time."

The NTSB has been updating its social media feed with pictures and official information on the crash. A member of the board said yesterday at a press conference as per CNN that the helicopter dropped more than 2,000 feet a minute and was in one piece until it crashed into the hillside. 

Jennifer Homendy, a member of the NTSB, said: "The descent rate for the helicopter was over 2,000 feet a minute, so we know that this was a high energy impact crash. This is a pretty steep descent at high speed. So it wouldn't be a normal landing speed."

What do you think about the tribute to Gianna and Kobe? Tell us your thoughts below. Pass this article on to your friends and family.