Yesterday, January 26, marks five years since Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna passed away in a heartbreaking helicopter accident. While their family thinks of them daily, on the anniversary, there is always an outpouring of love on social media, with touching posts, photos, and tributes.
Among those remembering them this year was soccer legend David Beckham. A day late but just as special, on January 27, the 49-year-old retired athlete shared a heartfelt tribute with his 88.2 million Instagram followers.
In the first photo black and white photo, Beckham is seen courtside at a Lakers game, smiling as Kobe greets him in his warm-up gear. The basketball legend retired in 2016 after scoring 60 points in a Lakers win against the Utah Jazz and is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. "Miss you man," Beckham wrote with Lakers-colored heart emojis.
The second photo featured Kobe and Gianna sitting courtside together enjoying a game. Their sweet smiles are a bittersweet reminder of the close bond they had and the passion they shared for basketball. The father and daughter duo were survived by Vanessa Bryant, who has continued to honor their legacy, and Gianna's siblings, Natalia, Bianca, and Capri.
Kobe and Gianna's passing
Gianna, who was only 13 and following in his footsteps, was on her way to a basketball tournament when the tragic accident occurred. Nine people died: Kobe, Gianna, head baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri, daughter Alyssa, a girl's basketball coach named Christina Mauser, Sarah Chester, 45, and her 13-year-old daughter Payton, and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.
As noted by the Associated Press, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) largely blamed Zobayan for the crash. The experienced pilot reportedly violated flight rules by flying into poor visibility conditions, ignoring his training, and failing to take precautions like slowing down, landing, or switching to auto-pilot.
The NTSB suggested Zobayan likely felt pressure to get them to the game and may have experienced "continuation bias," a tendency to stick with a plan despite worsening conditions.
“The closer you get to the destination, the more you think just maybe you can pull this off,” NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said.