New Details Have Come To Light About Kobe Bryant's Sudden Passing

The sports world has seen its fair share of dark days, but on January 26, 2020, it was almost as if the entire planet stopped spinning. Alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others, Kobe Bryant's life was tragically cut short. But as the world continues to mourn the loss of the late, great NBA star, details have emerged about the fatal accident. They reveal more about Kobe's final moments — and what likely caused the helicopter crash that took his life.

Busy Sunday

That fateful Sunday was by no means a lazy one for Kobe. By 7:00 a.m. he'd already attended church before making the trip from his Newport Coast home to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana. The morning sunrise was slowly fading beneath the gray of a coming storm, though the basketball legend had bigger things on his mind than the weather.

Big game

Just a few hours away, the Orange County basketball team that Kobe coached and Gianna played for were set to begin their first-ever tournament. The girls were eager to hit the court, though getting to the game wouldn't be as simple as driving around the block.

Gridlock

The Mamba Sports Academy gym, which Kobe co-owned, was some 80 miles away in Thousand Oaks, meaning it'd take most of the team a good two-plus hours to get there. Naturally, crawling through bumper-to-bumper traffic wasn't exactly Kobe's idea of a proper warmup before a big game.

To the skies

That's why Kobe offered to take Gianna, several of her teammates, and their parents to the tournament aboard his private "Mamba Chopper." In his later years, the NBA legend had flown by helicopter to dozens of games. Why would this trip be any different?