Kohli 'devastated' by Kobe Bryant's untimely death, says life is 'unpredictable'; a 'saddened' Tendulkar tweets condolences

NEW DELHI: American basketball legend Kobe Bryant's death in a helicopter crash has sent shock waves across the world. From Donald Trump to Barack Obama and Tim Cook, America plunged into grief.

Back home in India, too, the sporting fraternity mourned the death of the 41-year-old NBA legend. Team India skipper Virat Kohli took to Instagram to condole Bryant's demise, saying he was "absolutely devastated to hear the news". Paying tribute to the NBA star, Kohli said that in his childhood he used to get up early to watch Bryant play.

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"Absolutely devastated to hear this news today. So many childhood memories of waking up early and watching this magician doing things on the court that I would be mesmerized by. Life is so unpredictable and fickle. His daughter Gianna passed away too in the crash. I am absolutely heartbroken. Rest in peace. Strength and condolences to the family," Kohli wrote.

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Absolutely devastated to hear this news today. So many childhood memories of waking up early and watching this magician doing things on the court that I would be mesmerized by. Life is so unpredictable and fickle. His daughter Gianna passed away too in the crash. Iam absolutely Heartbroken. Rest in peace. Strength and condolences to the family 🙏

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) on Jan 26, 2020 at 3:50pm PST

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, stunned and saddened by the loss of Bryant, also tweeted his condolences to the basketball legend's family, friends and fans across the world.



Other Team India players like Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer and Jaspirt Bumrah also paid tribute to Bryant on social media.

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Sad day for the sporting world today. One of the greats of the game gone too soon. Rest in peace Kobe Bryant and his little daughter Gianna and the other victims

A post shared by Rohit Sharma (@rohitsharma45) on Jan 26, 2020 at 3:57pm PST

Mayank Agarwal and Ajinkya Rahane also posted tweets in memory of the player.

Former Australian leg spinner Shane Warne wrote that he was "stunned, shocked and saddened" to hear the news of Bryant and his daughter's death, while Caribbean all-rounder Sir Vivian Richards remembered him as a "true legend of the sporting world."




Barcelona forward Lionel Messi posted a picture of Bryant in his Los Angeles Lakers jersey on Instagram and recalled the time he had met the "genius."

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo also posted a picture of Bryant and said: "So sad to hear the heartbreaking news of the deaths of Kobe and his daughter Gianna. Kobe was a true legend and inspiration to so many. Sending my condolences to his family and friends and the families of all who lost their lives in the crash. RIP Legend."

Tennis star Novak Djokovic posted a picture of himself with the legend on Twitter. He called Bryant a "great mentor and friend," and expressed his sympathies to the family.


World No. 1 Rafael Nadal tweeted: "I woke up this morning with the horrible news of the tragic death of one of the greatest sportsmen in the world. Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and other passengers. My condolences to his wife and families. I am in shock."


Bryant and his daughter were expected at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for a basketball game scheduled for Sunday afternoon (local time), CNN reported.

Apart from Bryant and his daughter, seven other people were killed when a helicopter they were travelling in crashed amid foggy conditions and burst into flames in the hills above Calabasas, according to reports by local media.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told reporters that as per a manifest, nine people -- including the pilot -- were on board the helicopter that crashed on a hillside. No one survived the crash, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said. Officials did not reveal the identity of the victims.


LA County Fire Department Capt. Tony Imbrenda said that they did not immediately have any information as to whether the helicopter radioed a distress signal.

"Individuals that saw the aircraft said it was coming down at a fairly significant rate of speed and impacted the ground on the hillside," he told reporters.

Bryant had won five National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in his 20-year-long career while playing for Los Angeles Lakers.