African sportsmen and women pay tribute to Kobe Bryant
African sportsmen and women have shared their tributes after the death of US basketball player Kobe Bryant. The retired LA Lakers player died on Sunday in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles, aged 41. His daughter Gianna was among other passengers on the plane who died in the crash.
Democratic Republic of Congo's basketball player Bismack Biyombo tweeted: Devastated to hear the news about @kobebryant. He was the best to ever do it. Praying for the Bryant family during this difficult time. Your legacy will live forever, you inspired and transformed a lot of us
Retired Congolese basketballer Dikembe Mutombo tweeted: Heartbroken. The NBA family and the basketball world have lost a big giant, a father, husband and a legend of the game, Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna died today. RIP my brother! @nba @nbacares
Ivory Coast's retired footballers Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba wrote: So sad. RIP Kobe and Gianna Bryant.
Tunisian tennis player currently playing at the Australian Open tweeted: I can’t believe this RIP.
Bryant, 41, and Gianna, 13, were travelling in a private helicopter when it came down and burst into flames.
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played for the LA Lakers throughout his career and is considered one of the greatest players in the game's history. Tributes from celebrities and fellow sports stars have been pouring in, many expressing shock at his sudden death. Moments of silence have been observed at basketball games across the US.
Bryant played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He retired in April 2016. His achievements include being the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and two-time NBA Finals' MVP. He was also NBA scoring champion twice and a two-time Olympic champion. He famously scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, the second-highest single-game total in NBA history.
He also won an Oscar for best short animated film in 2018 for Dear Basketball, a five-minute film based on a love letter to the sport he had written in 2015.
Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, have three other daughters, Natalia, Bianca and Capri.
