Kobe Bryant: US mourns basketball legend killed in helicopter crash
US basketball legend Kobe Bryant has died in a helicopter crash in California, sparking an outpouring of grief from fans around the world.
Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna, 13, were among the nine killed when the aircraft came down in Calabasas.
There were no survivors from Sunday's crash which happened in foggy weather.
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion, played for the LA Lakers throughout his career and is considered one of the greatest players in the game's history.
Tributes from celebrities, politicians and fellow sports stars have been pouring in, many expressing shock at his sudden death. Moments of silence have been observed at basketball games across the US.
Fans gathered at a makeshift memorial for Bryant in front of the Los Angeles Lakers' stadium at the Staples Center on Sunday, laying flowers and basketballs in memory of the star.
Bryant has also been rememberedat the Grammy Awardswhich were held at the Staples Center.
"We're all feeling crazy sadness right now," said Grammys host Alicia Keys.
"Because earlier today Los Angeles, America and the whole wide world lost a hero. We're literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built."
The NBA issued a statement saying it was "devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna".
"For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning," it said.
What do we know about the crash?
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said the helicopter's manifest indicated that nine people were on board when it crashed, raising the number from five in earlier statements by officials.
Christina Mauser, a basketball coach at Gianna's school, was also on board, her husband wrote on Facebook.
In a statement on Sunday afternoon, the City of Calabasas said it heard the news "with great sadness".
"The aircraft went down in a remote field off Las Virgenes around 10:00 this morning. Nobody on the ground was hurt," it added.
Investigators are still trying to find out the cause of the crash. But conditions were foggy, and local police had grounded their helicopters due to the poor weather.
"The likelihood of a catastrophic twin engine failure on that aircraft - it just doesn't happen," he said.
Gavin Masak, who lives nearby, told CBS News of the moment the helicopter crashed.
"It wasn't exactly like an explosion sound but it was like a loud boom. It sounded like a helicopter, but it sounded like a jet, like it was loud, so I went inside and told my dad what was happening. So when I came out I saw smoke on the hill but it wasn't like a big, black cloud of smoke, it was just grey," he said.
Other eyewitnesses told celebrity news site TMZ they heard the helicopter's engine sputtering before it went down.
The National Transportation Safety Board identified the crashed helicopter as a Sikorsky S-76B and said it was sending a team to investigate the crash.
Officers closed roads in the area to stop people trying to get to the crash site.
Bryant played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He retired in April 2016.
His achievements include being the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) and two-time NBA Finals MVP. He was also NBA scoring champion twice and a two-time Olympic champion.
He famously scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006, the second-highest single-game total in NBA history.
He also won an Oscar for best short animated film in 2018 for Dear Basketball, a five-minute film based on a love letter to the sport he had written in 2015.
Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, have three other daughters, Natalia, Bianca and Capri.
Bryant was accused of sexual assault in 2003 by a 19-year-old woman working at a Colorado resort. He denied the allegation, saying the two had consensual sex. The case was dropped after the accuser refused to testify in court.
He later apologised, saying he recognised that "she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did." A subsequent civil suit was settled out of court.
What has the reaction been?
Tributes for the sports star poured in on social media following news of the crash.
Shaquille O'Neal, who played alongside Bryant at the Lakers between 1996 and 2004, said there were "no words to express the pain I'm going through".
"I love you and you will be missed," he wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the pair in their Lakers kits.
Deron Williams, who won an Olympic gold alongside Bryant, said he was lost for words. He described Bryant as "the greatest competitor I have ever gone up against and played with".
BOSTON (AP) Devin Booker scored 70 points, becoming the sixth player in NBA history to reach that total, but the Boston Celtics got 34 points from Isaiah Thomas and outlasted the Phoenix Suns 130-120 on Friday night.
Booker joined Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, David Thompson, David Robinson and Elgin Baylor as the NBA’s 70-point scorers. Baylor also held the previous record against the Celtics with 64 points in Minneapolis for the Lakers on Nov. 8, 1959.
The win was Boston’s third straight, and avenged its buzzer-beater loss in Phoenix earlier this month.
The rematch was dominated early by the Celtics as they hit eight 3-pointers during a 37-point second quarter to grow their lead as high as 26 points.
Dodgers reliever caps long comeback from legal troubles
LOS ANGELES -- Brandon Beachy returns to the Major Leagues on Saturday after a two-year injury absence, but that's nothing compared to Dodgers teammateChin-hui Tsao.
Disgraced in scandal back in his native Taiwan, the right-hander made his first Major League appearance in eight years a winning one for the Dodgers with a scoreless seventh inning in Friday night's3-2 comebackwin over the Brewers.
It was the 34-year-old Tsao's fifth Major League win and first in more than a decade (May 11, 2005 with Colorado).
"I'd like to thank God and the team for giving me a chance to pitch here," said Tsao. "I'm very lucky to get the win today. I feel like I'm dreaming."
Tsao said he was nervous warming up in the bullpen, took a brief break, but was fine by the time he was called in to take over after starterMike Bolsinger's six innings.
The Tsao comeback borders on the miraculous. His first Major League club was the Rockies, but he was released after undergoing shoulder surgery in 2006. He signed with the Dodgers and appeared in 21 games in 2007, but injuries led to his free agency in 2008.
He was involved in a game-fixing scandal back in his native Taiwan in 2009 and ran a barbecue restaurant during a five-year suspension, continuing to train during that time.
"As I trained I felt better and better," he said. "I went back to baseball and wasn't sure I would make it or not. Fortunately, I made it."
Tsao thought he would be playing over the winter in Australian Baseball League, but was haunted by his past and the deal fell through.
The Dodgers signed Tsao to a Minor League contract before Spring Training with no invitation to Major League camp. He made six exhibition appearances and, despite a 6.97 ERA, showed enough life with his pitches that he was assigned to Double-A Tulsa for four games, then promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, and this week back to the big leagues.
Ken Gurnickis a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.