The venue can hold about 20,000 people. One of the best players in baseball history, he had been on a cargo plane that was attempting to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. DeMarcus Cousins during the Lakers’ first practice since Bryant’s death. For the first time since Bryant was leading the team a decade ago, the Lakers have real hopes of a championship. After all, Fox was teammates with Bryant for seven seasons before retiring after the 2003-4 season. “I think he really understood professionalism. Zobayan had logged more than 8,200 hours of flight time, officials said, at least 1,250 of which were in the Sikorsky S-76B, the model of helicopter he was piloting on Sunday. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home to the University of Southern California Trojans, is an alternative to Staples Center. Investigators recovered an iPad and a cellphone from the site, Homendy said, and had loaded pieces of the crashed helicopter onto a truck to move to a secure location. 30,888, This story has been shared 25,764 times. Sorry this is so morbid, but I'm going to a wake tonight of someone who hung themselves and I was just curious if it would be an open casket? The Lakers hold practice, but only the coach speaks to reporters. Roberto Clemente’s death at 38 in a 1972 plane crash shocked the sports world. BRIAN MELLEY, DAVID KOENIG AND BERNARD CONDON, Your access to the comments has been permanently suspended. player, thought the many missed calls he was receiving Sunday afternoon were from friends who were checking in after hearing the news about Bryant’s death. So when the 41-year-old basketball legend and his 13-year-old daughter died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 in California along with seven other people, he memorialized them the best way he knew how. After the Lakers’ charter flight landed in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon, Vogel immediately went home, he said, to hug his wife and two young daughters. Sitemap After Bryant’s death this weekend, Steve Blass, a teammate of Clemente’s on the Pittsburgh Pirates, thought back to the 4 a.m. phone call that awakened him on New Year’s Day in 1973. Collins was “live” on Facebook during the memorial, filming mourners and fans who stopped by for photographs with the casket. That would depend on the wishes of next of kin! They are make-it-happen, get-it-done personalities,” Mosher said. The hard job of informing the Lakers players of Bryant’s death on Sunday fell to Coach Frank Vogel, who said he went to them “one by one” as the team flew home from a road trip that had ended in Philadelphia on Saturday night. Bryant’s role as a father to four daughters and his strong support of women’s athletics later in life have emerged as key parts in his complicated legacy, which also includes a sexual assault case from 2003 that did not lead to a conviction. “He had a clipboard, he was drawing up plays and talking to [the players],” said one person who was there. Terms of Use Investigators have yet to establish the cause of the crash and have not faulted his decision to press on or explained why he chose to do so. 3 killed in crash of plane from North Carolina in New York, Police: 3 charged for apartment shooting in North Carolina, Rock slide and fallen trees shut parts of Blue Ridge Parkway. Throughout the day, he “had really good energy with his daughter,” a witness said. We definitely need them. But his use of “The Snake,” written by activist Oscar Brown, has been controversial. But again, it's at the family's discretion. “A couple of them have said half-joking and half-serious -– well, probably more than half-serious -- ‘Aren’t you tough enough?’ or ‘Aren’t you trained well enough?’ or ‘Aren’t you good enough?' I wish they were here with us forever. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Your California Privacy Rights Images of the nine victims from the crash are displayed on the interior, and black lettering on the casket’s side reads “Mamba Out,” photographs show. “Thank you for all the prayers. No way of knowing. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. BRIAN MELLEY, DAVID KOENIG AND BERNARD CONDON. “The grieving is universal, but it’s also so personal,” Blass said. At 36-10, they have the best record in the Western Conference — and the second-best record in the league behind the Milwaukee Bucks. Why are women no longer referred to as an old maid or spinster if she is unmarried after a certain age? Lv 7. “I think he’s worried about me, so I said, ‘I’m going to talk to my best friend.’ And I answered and said, ‘Hey man, this is crazy about Kobe.’ And he just was bawling, and I started crying. ". Reporting was contributed by Alan Blinder, Julie Bosman, Scott Cacciola, Chris Hamby, Jeré Longman and Marc Tracy. Los Angeles stands ready to accommodate thousands of mourners. An ESPN anchor, Elle Duncan, spoke through tears on air recalling the time that she met Bryant when she was eight months pregnant. However, it is too soon to determine whether the pilot was still in control of the aircraft during that descent, she said. “He was a little bit animated at times, but it was in a very positive way.”. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify, Jalen Rose: Renaissance Man Deetz said that he flew with Zobayan a half-dozen times and that he was familiar with airspace and terrain around Los Angeles and knew “the back doors” -- alternative routes in case of trouble, such as changes in the weather. This story has been shared 30,888 times. with your teams, but this group in particular has really grown to love each other very rapidly, and we understand the opportunity we have this year. Have them here with us, forever.”, Bryant concluded her post by urging those to donate to the MambaOnThree Fund, set up to “help support the other families affected by this tragedy.”. Blass delivered one of the eulogies. She said the diocese was “respecting the privacy of the family” and had not been involved in any funeral discussions as of Wednesday.