Legendary professional basketball player Kobe Bryant tragically passed away Sunday morning, Jan. 26, due to a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. 

Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Bryant, were on their way to a travel basketball game along with another player and parent when the helicopter began spinning out of control and crashing into the ground. As the helicopter went up in flames it killed everyone on board. 

When it comes to basketball, the term “legend” is not thrown around often, but that was exactly who Bryant was. After being drafted directly from high school in 1996, Bryant went on to have one of the greatest careers in NBA history.

Throughout his career, Bryant was selected to the All-Star team 18 out of his 20 seasons in the NBA. He tallied five championships with the Los Angles Lakers, two of which he was named the Finals MVP, won the league MVP twice, is ranked fourth all-time in career points and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. 

Not only was he a legend on the court, but he also did great work off the court as well. He founded his own charity foundation in 2007 and supported a variety of other charity organizations including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and After School All-Stars.

Bryant truly lived by the “mamba mentality” throughout his whole life and his work and influence will be missed throughout the world for years to come.