Reggio Emilia, 26 January 2024 – Il January 26, 2020 he left us at 41 Kobe Bryantone of the most famous and iconic athletes in the history of basketball who died due to a terrible helicopter crash. If we talk about Kobe, in addition to his extraordinary sporting results, it is automatic to think of his indissoluble link with Italy and Reggio Emiliain which he lived the last years of his Italian life before returning to the USA.
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Kobe Bryant, filming in Reggio Emilia for a documentary film on the champion’s childhood
A photo portraying Kobe Bryant during his time spent in Reggio Emilia
The accident
At 9:47 approximately January 26, 2020, a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter with on board Kobehis thirteen-year-old daughter Gianna and 7 other people (including the pilot) crashed in Calabasas, in the county of The Angels. The aircraft, after the pilot changed direction towards the South due to heavy fog, crashed into a hill at a speed of approximately 298 km/h. Il uneven terrain not flames released at the moment of impact they made the intervention of the emergency services even more complicated, which they already found when they arrived deceased all passengers.
He left us that daysports iconAmerican but not only, capable of breaking record after record and contribute as a protagonist to the growing floves the NBA world championship. A character who went beyond sport, a key man of the Los Angeles Lakers and of USA national team known throughout the world and who has inspired millions of young athletes.
His palmares contains 5 NBA championships, 2 times Olympic, 1 NBA Season MVP Award and even a Academy Award for ‘Best Animated Short Film’ won in 2018 thanks to his documentary entitled “Dear Basketball”. His daughter also died with him Gianna Maria Honor Bryantsecond child born from the marriage with Vanessa on 1 May 2006, and all the other 7 passengers including Sarah Chester, another 13 year old girl.
The relationship with Reggio Emilia
Kobe Bryant spent some years of his youth in Reggio Emiliain the period in which the father Joe he was a first team player. Bryant played in the Youth of the Pallacanestro Reggiana in the seasons 1989-1990 e 1990-1991, with which he won two provincial titles. It was the last Italian experience before returning with the family to the United States. During the two-year period in the Emilian city, parents Pam and Joe decided to enroll their son inSaint Vincent de Paul Instituteto guarantee him, in addition to a solid education, also a Christian education.
The “Black Mamba” used to remember that period with great pleasure, even in interviews. THE A lot of friendsil school period with the nunsthe field tripstraining and even the unfortunate prediction of one professorwho predicted a failure in his basketball careerare just some of the things they did endear particularly the basketball player at that stage of his life.
In the January 2021exactly one year after the accident, the Municipality of Reggio Emilia inaugurated in the name of the sportsman and his daughter Largo Kobe e Gianna Bryant. Located near the Pala Bigi Of Via Guascohome of Pallacanestro Reggiana, in the Largo there is also a gingko biloba dedicated to the two, near a commemorative plate containing images from Kobe’s past.