"Kobe was a legend": Former President Barack Obama mourns Kobe Bryant
Former president and avid basketball fan Barack Obama paid his condolences to the Bryant family following the tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
"Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act," Mr. Obama tweeted. "To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day."
Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) January 26, 2020
The five-time NBA champion died in a helicopter crash alongside eight others in Calabasas, California, on Sunday, the city said. The NBA confirmed that Bryant's 13-year old daughter, Gianna, also died in the crash.
"The NBA family is devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.