2-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant death – remembering the ‘Black Mamba’

The tragic helicopter crash that killed Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others happened two years ago today.

Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed when a helicopter carrying them crashed in heavy fog in Calabasas on Jan. 26, 2020. John Altobelli, 56, a longtime baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, his wife Keri, and their 13-year-old daughter Alyssa were among those killed. Christina Mauser, a wife, mother, and coach from Huntington Beach, was also on board.

Kobe forever ❤️ https://t.co/abINTAlxdK

— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 26, 2022

Vanessa Bryant, Bryant’s widow, is trying to sue Los Angeles County for disclosing personal cell phone images taken at the collision site by L.A. County Sheriff’s detectives and firefighters. The federal trial is due to begin on Feb. 22 if no settlement is reached.

According to Bryant’s lawyers, photos of Kobe and Gianna’s bodies were sent around on 28 LA County Sheriff’s Department devices and a dozen firemen’s devices. According to the attorneys, the images were displayed in bars and at an awards ceremony.

Vanessa Bryant expressed her displeasure with the situation “that the people I trusted to safeguard my husband’s and daughter’s dignity exploited their power to collect souvenirs of their deaths, as if having photos of their bodies made them special. I image Kobe standing there watching what happened at the crash scene, and I’m filled with rage and emotion “as stated in her declaration

Sheriff Alex Villanueva stated in a court-ordered deposition that collecting and sharing such photographs was “wildly improper” and “disgusting,” and that it demonstrated attempts to “carry away a trophy” from the site of the fatalities.

Remembering the Black Mamba

https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1486338287866363910?s=20

Kobe Bryant has a legendary career as a member of one of the NBA’s most well-known organizations. He was, a two-time Finals MCP, the league MVP, the Lakers’ all-time top scorer, and, for many, the best player in NBA history, thanks to his prominent role on five separate championship teams in the early 2000s.