Yesterday the sports world lost an icon in Kobe Bryant, but we must all remember that the Mamba and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, weren’t the only ones to tragically lose their life during that helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
Along with the Bryants, other families are mourning significant losses today as the identities of the seven other passengers aboard the chopper that went down Sunday morning have been revealed.
Along with Kobe and Gianna, the helicopter was also carrying Gigi’s teammates’ Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, Alyssa’s parents John and Keri Altobelli, Payton’s mom Sarah Chester, their coach Christina Mauser, and pilot Ara Zobayan.
The nine of them were said to be traveling to a basketball practice at the Mamba Academy near Thousand Oaks at the time of the crash. The conditions for the flight were not ideal, but the pilot was still given clearance for takeoff
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the families involved.
