LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant passed away on January 26, 2020 (Sunday) in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. The world is in mourning as it has lost one of its greatest sporting icons of all time. The entire sporting fraternity paid their tributes to ‘Magic Mamba’ and among them were current Indian team cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Bryant, an 18-time-all-star, was widely regarded as the best player of his generation and has led his beloved Lakers to five championship titles during his two-decade-long career. Kobe Bryant Tragic Death in Helicopter Crash: A Look at Some Memorable Moments of the ‘NBA Legend Gone Too Soon’.

Indian Skipper Virat Kohli and limited over’s captain Rohit Sharma have expressed their grief over the untimely passing of Kobe Bryant as they took to social media to post a heartfelt message in his honour. ‘Absolutely devastated to hear this news today. So many childhood memories of waking up early and watching this magician doing things on the court that I would be mesmerized by. Life is so unpredictable and fickle. His daughter Gianna passed away too in the crash. I am absolutely Heartbroken. Rest in peace. Strength and condolences to the family’ Kohli posted. While Rohit Sharma shared an emotional message as he wrote ‘Sad day for the sporting world today. One of the greats of the game gone too soon. Rest in peace Kobe Bryant and his little daughter Gianna and the other victims.’ Kobe Bryant Dies at 41, Sports Fraternity Across the World Pays Tribute to Lakers Legend Who Died in Helicopter Crash.

Rohit Sharma's Post

Virat Kohli's Post

Kobe Bryant started his basketball career at a young age as he declared himself for the 1996 NBA draft after graduating from high school. Charlotte Hornets selected him as their 13th pick and later traded him to the Lakers where he cemented himself on of the all-time greats. Kobe is fourth in the list of the all-time leading NBA scorers and was the first player in the history to reach at least 30,000 career points and 6,000 career assists.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 27, 2020 11:02 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).