This also started a quarter-acre bush fire. At 9:47 a.m. Bryant, his daughter, and the other seven occupants were killed. the helicopter climbed rapidly from 1,200 to 2,000 feet (370 to 610 m), flying at 161 knots (298 km/h 185 mph).Īt 9:45 a.m., the helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain in Calabasas, about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and began burning. the pilot contacted the Burbank Airport's control tower, notifying the tower of the situation and was told he was 'flying too low' to be tracked by radar. At that time, the helicopter experienced extreme fog and turned south towards the mountains. Zoo due to heavy air traffic in the area. Gianna with her father at a basketball gameĪt 9:06 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter departed from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, with nine people aboard: Gianna, her father, six family friends, and the pilot. The helicopter was registered to the Fillmore-based Island Express Holding Corp., according to the California Secretary of State business database. The group was traveling to Camarillo Airport in Ventura County for a basketball game at Bryant's Mamba Academy in Thousand Oaks.ĭue to light rain and fog that morning, the LAPD helicopters and most other air traffic were grounded. The flight tracker showed that the helicopter circled above the L.A. Main article: 2020 Calabasas helicopter crash You got this.'īryant wore the number 2 to honor United States women's national soccer player Sydney Leroux. I'm telling you, The best thing that happens is when we go out, and fans will come up to me, and she'll be standing next to me, and they will be like, 'You gotta have a boy, you and V gotta have a boy, man, to have somebody carry on the tradition, the legacy.' And is like, 'I got this!'' Bryant said. Kobe would talk about Gianna saying how she was female version of him. She played on the competitive team with the club at the U-10 through U-15 levels.īryant had a very close relationship with her father Kobe as she was usually always by her father's side.

He would take her to his games where she would often shoot around with the team in warm-ups.īryant's inspiration to play in the WNBA came after playing attending Los Angeles Sparks game during a school trip in fourth grade, when she declared, 'I will play in the WNBA, I promise.' Bryant played basketball for the Mamba Sports Academy, where she was coached by her father until their tragic death. She was also the granddaughter of former NBA player Joe Bryant and great-niece of former basketball player John 'Chubby' Cox.Her father, Kobe, was the reason she started playing basketball. Her mother is Mexican and her father is African-American. Born in Los Angeles, California to Vanessa and Kobe Bryant, Gianna was raised with her older sister Natalia and two younger sisters, Bianka and Capri.

Gigi bryant