- The NBA legend Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday morning.
- He had been traveling with eight other people. There were no survivors.
- The victims include Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, at least one fellow member of her basketball team, and others including the college baseball coach John Altobelli.
- They were reportedly en route to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where Bryant coached his daughter.
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The retired NBA star Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday morning.
He had been traveling with eight other people in his private helicopter at the time. All of them died in the crash, which took place in dangerously foggy conditions.
Here are the names of everyone on the flight:
- Kobe Bryant, 41.
- His 13-year-old daughter, Gianna “Gigi” Bryant.
- Gianna’s basketball teammate Alyssa Altobelli.
- Alyssa’s father, John Altobelli, 56, the baseball coach at Orange Coast College.
- Alyssa’s mother, Keri Altobelli.
- Christina Mauser, a basketball coach at the nearby Harbor Day School, the school Gigi Bryant attended.
- Payton Chester, a middle-school student.
- Sarah Chester, Payton’s mother.
- Ara Zobayan, the pilot.
They had been en route to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where Bryant coached his daughter and other teammates, The New York Times reported.
John Altobelli - also known as "Coach Alto" - had been Orange Coast College's coach for the past 27 years, the college confirmed.
"John meant so much to not only Orange Coast College, but to baseball," the school's athletic director, Jason Kehler, said in a statement.
"He truly personified what it means to be a baseball coach. The passion that he put into the game, but more importantly his athletes, was second to none - he treated them like family."
Jeff McNeil, an infielder for the New York Mets, paid tribute to Altobelli and called him "one of my favorite coaches I have ever played for and one of the main reasons I got a chance to play professional baseball."
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli. He was a coach, a colleague, a mentor and a friend at OCC for 27 years.
Read our full statement at https://t.co/ttTGWOZKnm pic.twitter.com/ch8ilLHHl4
— Orange Coast College (@orangecoast) January 26, 2020
Matt Mauser, the husband of Christina, wrote on Facebook: "My kids and I are devastated. We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash. Please respect our privacy. Thank you for all the well wishes they mean so much."
Riley Chester, Payton's brother, also posted a tribute to his sister and his mother on Instagram. The photos included a photo Payton at a basketball game with Bryant.
http://instagr.am/p/B7zfnoGnqgo
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