Barack Obama pays tribute to ‘legend’ Kobe Bryant after the NBA star’s death, saying he was ‘just getting started in what would have been a meaningful second act’
- Former President Barack Obama paid tribute to NBA star Kobe Bryant after he died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday
- The crash in Calabasas also claimed Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others
- Obama wrote that Bryant, ‘was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act’
- The 44th president also mourned the loss of Gianna, saying it was especially ‘heartbreaking’ to him and former First Lady Michelle Obama as parents
- US President Donald Trump made an initial post acknowledging Bryant’s passing as ‘terrible news’, and later tweeted similar comments
Former President Barack Obama paid tribute to NBA star Kobe Bryant after he died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday, which also claimed his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
Obama tweeted that Bryant was ‘just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act’, just hours after the retired Los Angeles Lakers player’s Sikorsky S-76 crashed in Calabasas about 10am.
The helicopter struck a hillside amid heavy fog and immediately caught fire.
Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the crash.
President Barack Obama (L) talks with Kobe Bryant while he was still on the Los Angeles Lakers during an NBA Cares service event at the Boys and Girls Club in Washington, DC, in 2010. Obama paid tribute to Bryant after his passing on Sunday
Obama tweeted that Bryant was ‘just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act’, just hours after the retired Los Angeles Lakers player’s Sikorsky S-76 crashed in Calabasas about 10am
Obam’s tribute also notes the loss of Gianna was especially painful for him and former First Lady Michelle Obama. ‘To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents,’ Obama wrote. The Obamas have two daughters, Malia, 21, and Sasha, 18
Bryant, 41, had played 20 seasons in the NBA, and all of them were with the Lakers.
He retired after the 2015-16 season and was widely regarded as one of the greatest players of the game.
News of his passing reverberated throughout the sports world, leaving many in shock and to post tributes in honor of the former Los Angeles Lakers player.
The 44th president’s tribute was short, but poignant.
‘Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act,’ Obama wrote.
He said the loss of Gianna was especially painful for him and former First Lady Michelle Obama. ‘To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents,’ Obama wrote.
The Obamas have two daughters, Malia, 21, and Sasha, 18.
Obama’s tribute, as tweeted Sunday, is pictured
The former president addressed Bryant’s widow directly in his tribute.
‘Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day,’ he wrote.
US President Donald Trump made an initial post on social media acknowledging Bryant’s passing.
US President Donald Trump made an initial post on social media acknowledging Bryant’s passing, which he called ‘terrible news!’
The president later followed up with similar comments about Bryant
Trump added to his second tweet that, ‘Melania and I send our warmest condolences to Vanessa and the wonderful Bryant family. May God be with you all!’
‘Reports are that basketball great Kobe Bryant and three others have been killed in a helicopter crash in California. That is terrible news!’ Trump tweeted.
He later followed up with similar comments about Bryant.
‘Kobe Bryant, despite being one of the truly great basketball players of all time, was just getting started in life,’ Trump tweeted. ‘He loved his family so much, and had such strong passion for the future.’
‘The loss of his beautiful daughter, Gianna, makes this moment even more devastating….’ Trump added.
‘Melania and I send our warmest condolences to Vanessa and the wonderful Bryant family. May God be with you all!’