BUFFALO, N.Y. — NBA legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, were among the nine people killed in Sunday morning's crash in the southern California city of Calabasas.
As the entire sports world mourns his sudden death, first responders in California continue to provide updates on what happened.
The Associated Press reports the chopper crashed Sunday in Calabasas, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Authorities confirmed that nine people died, with no survivors.
A person familiar with the crash told the Associated Press that Bryant was among the victims. A second person familiar with the case says Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna also was killed.
Bishop Timon High School basketball coach Jason Rowe personally knew Kobe Bryant. He spoke with 2 On Your Side's Claudine Ewing and Stu Boyar about Bryant's death.
"I was numb. I was shocked. I was in disbelief, like everyone else," Rowe said. "It came through my phone, and I think I had the same feelings everyone else did. I was looking for something else to say it was a hoax, it was a joke. Unfortunately, the news, the tragic news, was true."
Rowe met Bryant at a youth basketball camp, where they were roommates.
"I asked him, 'Who's recruiting you?" He said, 'Everyone,' " Rowe said. "I said, 'What are you going to do next year?' He said, 'I'm going to the NBA.' What impressed me the most was just his confidence, and his belief, to do what exactly what he wanted to do."
Bryant was an all-time basketball great who won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Word of Bryant’s death at age 41 is rocketing around the sports and entertainment worlds, with many stars taking to Twitter to register their shock, disbelief and dismay.
In Western New York, many people did the same.
