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NBA Legend, Kobe Bryant, Among Five Dead In Helicopter Crash. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired January 26, 2020 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:00]

TONY IMBRENDA, FIRE CAPTAIN AND PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, LA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: Good morning, Tony Imbrenda, Fire Captain and Public Information Officer, LA County Fire Department.

Still early on in this incident. We received a call just before 10:00 a.m. this morning from LA County Fire Dispatch of an aircraft down here in the Malibu area, right off of Los Virgenes, essentially Calabasas, right off of Las Virgenes Road here.

And apparently some folks were out here mountain biking this morning and saw an aircraft in distress that went down into the hillside.

This was a helicopter. It's been confirmed that it was an S-76 Sikorski helicopter, and unfortunately there were no survivors. Right now, we're in the very early phase of this. We still have some fire activity on the hill.

So LA County Fire Department units are doing a progressive hosing right now to get water. The aircraft is down pretty far from the road. So we're having to put several hundred feet of hose in to get up there to cool down the scene. And right now we're waiting for the arrival of NTSB investigators.

There's not much more to add. Right now, we're still in the very early phase of this. We don't have any information as to who the aircraft belongs to or the victims or even the number of victims at this point.

We just know that it's multiple fatalities and there were no survivors.

QUESTION: Any communication from the helicopter to the communications?

IMBRENDA: We've checked into that and at this point, I don't have any information as to whether or not the aircraft radioed any distress. We just know that that individuals that saw the aircraft said it was coming down at a fairly significant rate of speed and impacted the ground on the hillside behind me here and started approximately a quarter acre brush fire.

As I said, the wreckage is still pretty hot up there. Typically, there's some magnesium involved in these aircraft incidents, so we have firefighters up there right now trying to make sure that we don't have any fire spread and trying to preserve whatever evidence we can for NTSB investigators to do their job.

QUESTION: Do you know what kind of helicopter it is?

IMBRENDA: As I said, it was a Sikorsky S-76.

QUESTION: We heard three or five fatalities confirmed?

IMBRENDA: We don't know, sir. We don't have a number on the number of fatalities right now.

QUESTION: How many people can that helicopter carry?

IMBRENDA: I don't have that information. It's easily researched, though.

QUESTION: Where was it going?

IMBRENDA: We don't know. We don't know where it came from or where it was going. Of course, that's information that will be forthcoming. We're in the very early phase. We're less than an hour into this right now. So right now, we're just in the process of incident stabilization, making sure that we can preserve what we can for investigators to be able to do their job.

QUESTION: Do you believe the weather have a factor in it all?

IMBRENDA: Don't have any information to that, sir.

QUESTION: Any communication with the NTSB?

IMBRENDA: The NTSB is en route.

QUESTION: What agencies are here?

IMBRENDA: Right now, it's Los Angeles County Fire Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff. We do also have some Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy emergency personnel as well.

QUESTION: What was visibility at that time?

IMBRENDA: I couldn't tell you, sir. As you can see there's some fog whether or not visibility played a role in this, we don't have that information at this point. Still very early.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

IMBRENDA: OK. I should have some more information in the next hour or so.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Again, no believed survivors from a helicopter crash not far from Malibu, California in Calabasas. Still unclear what the origin, you know, takeoff point from that helicopter was or its destination.

Again, LA fire authorities, first responders all there trying to determine what happened and more on this investigation, of course, as we get it.

All right, right now, President Trump's legal team is finalizing plans for day two of presenting their case against removal from office. They pick up again tomorrow on Capitol Hill, this after an abbreviated session yesterday outlining their plan to poke holes in House Democrats' impeachment case.

But beyond the legal arguments, another battle is brewing.

And before we get to this, we now have information about at least one of those passengers who has died in that helicopter crash. It has been confirmed, CNN is able to tell you now that NBA star, Kobe Bryant was onboard that helicopter and is now dead at the age of 41.

Our Christine Brennan is with us now on the phone. So there you go. All right, we're able to see you. Christine, tell us what you know and how this confirmation was made.

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: Fred, this is tragic and terrible news, and as people are hearing this news now confirmed CNN and other news organizations, it is hitting them as just one of the most unthinkable things you could have here.

[15:05:11]

BRENNAN: CNN has confirmed this news, Kobe Bryant, 41 years old, had retired just a few years ago from the NBA after a stellar career, one of the greatest ever, Hall of Fame. He played only his entire career with one team, the Lakers, and in many ways he was the Los Angeles Lakers.

So when you think of Kobe Bryant, it's sports, but it's more than sports. He is -- was a part of our culture, Olympic teams, Hollywood, the father of four daughters.

So recently he has been seen at women's sporting events supporting the U.S. women's soccer team, WNBA games with his girls, and all about the empowerment of young women as well.

Controversy of course, allegations of sexual assault many years ago, but he overcame that, and has become such a cultural icon and such not just about sports, but about our culture and, and a huge piece of Americana, and so that's why this news is absolutely tragic, stunning and a shocker.

I'm sure that there are people listening in and finding out about this, they are as shocked as I was when I heard the news. It's truly awful.

WHITFIELD: Now, it is heartbreaking to see these beautiful images of he and his wife, Vanessa and their four daughters. And one of his most recent projects, I mean, this NBA star you know, had also started this like children's, you know, book program and was branching out into you know, animation cartoons as an educational tool for kids.

He was very conscientious, Christine, of the power of his celebrity and taking it beyond, you know, his five NBA championship title perimeter, but making it much more broad and affecting a lot of people.

BRENNAN: And that is why this news, it would be devastating anyway for anyone to lose their life, but then to have it be someone who has left the sports arena and has become part of our lives in so many ways -- the Academy Awards; you mentioned his work in movies, his work in animation, his work with children's books.

And looking ahead at the age of 41; still very young, looking ahead to a life and a career in all of those facets of media and of working for good.

This is a man who came right out of high school right to the NBA, and has been one of those names and one of those people that has been around us for a very long time.

We're in love with athletes on a first name basis, some of the biggest names and certainly Kobe has always been one of those.

And so yes, looking ahead, retired a few years ago from the NBA, but not retired from our lives, and not going away. And in fact, being a part of, as I said, as you said, too the culture and entertainment, and showing up at the Academy Awards and being at places, in big places. A big personality, a person who had so many more things to do.

And I think if he had just been a basketball player and had just been a great basketball player, that by itself would have made this news, of course, as stunning and as tragic as it is right now.

But then because of the promise of what was yet to come, and the fact that he would have had another 34 years in the spotlight and was going to embrace those years, it's just again -- it's awful news. It's terrible. And, of course, it's something that I think we're all just coming to grips with right now.

WHITFIELD: You know, Christine, I just watched a documentary last week that involved him and helped you remember what that retirement, that moment was like for him when he walked into the Staples Center and talked about how, you know, appreciative he was of Los Angeles and the Lakers, of allowing him to grow up, of teaching him to be a more giving player, what it was to become a team player.

I mean, remarkable that audiences you know, were just reminded of that yesterday. Talk to me about your memories about how we watched him grow up with this huge responsibility, you know, of being a professional athlete and being a rising star and how he grew and learned about the responsibility, you know, of being a high profile athlete.

BRENNAN: Well, you're right. You know, he was a kid when we first heard about him. He is coming out of high school right to the NBA and, and we know how hard that is because players have done it, and LeBron James certainly has done it. Kobe did it, but it's rare, and it's rare that the stories would -- the arc of the story would be so successful and just so majestic. [15:10:01]

BRENNAN: And Kobe did learn. He talked about the mistakes he made. He was a kid. You know, he goes from high school right to the LA Lakers and a spotlight that New York, LA, maybe Chicago, you know, there's so few places that that spotlight burns so brightly, and Kobe embraced it and went right into that.

And, of course, there were issues and well, it's it seems terrible to mention, at this moment of his death that we're talking about the sexual assault allegations, the trial -- that was that was a terrible moment and that was not good.

Obviously, I'm not going to sugarcoat that at all, but within those mistakes, there was also learning and there was also a sense from him, as we saw, as I mentioned a little bit ago with his daughters of wanting to be a part of showing them this new world for women and opportunities for women and girls.

And so, as you look at the arc of his life and his career, and you look at how he has grown, and became just a stalwart in our culture and the community, and as I said, the things that could have been coming forward over the next 20 to 30 years in his life, I mean, that is -- the tragedy is losing him.

What he has done, the history of Kobe, Hall of Fame, one of the great names in sports, and one of the great performers ever in the NBA, and throughout sports, but also the promise of what he could do in our culture moving forward, even though he was retired. There was so much more yet to come for Kobe.

WHITFIELD: Yes, a 41-year-old man, still a very young man who could continue to make an impact and still will, I'm sure, even posthumously. Christine, thank you so much. I

I also want to bring in now, CNN's Brian Stelter. Brian, we're talking about you know, a sports hero, a multimedia star, in fact.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes, a transcendent basketball player, but also a global phenomenon, someone who had a profound impact on the Lakers and on the NBA, but became a worldwide celebrity.

You know, Fred, he was born in Philadelphia. He started playing at age three. And of course, you know, became one of the NBA's greatest champions. Retired, as Christine said in 2016, scored to 33,643 points in his career and represented the U.S. team in the Olympics twice.

You know, just last night, LeBron James surpassed Kobe for third on the all-time scoring list, and I want to read what LeBron said about Kobe that night. He said, "I'm just happy to be in any conversation with Kobe Bryant, one of the all-time greatest basketball players to ever play, one of the all-time greatest Lakers."

LeBron went on to say, "The man has two jerseys hanging up at the Staples Center. It's just crazy." And Kobe then exchanged and congratulated LeBron, congratulated him on growing the game.

But it is a heartbreaking loss for the NBA, for the basketball world and for the world at large because he was such a global phenomenon.

By the way, Fred, I think people might be wondering, what was he doing in a helicopter on a Sunday morning in the hills near Malibu? Kobe was known for taking this private helicopter to and from his games. This was something that was written about. It was a part of his aura, part of his appeal.

And he said he did it, you know, not just for the Hollywood glitz and glamour, he was doing it because it was best for his body, best for his performance because he was able to land right there near the Staples Center, head inside for the games. This is something that he did for years.

He had his logo adorned on the helicopter and it appears that it was that very helicopter that crashed earlier today and we do not know the identities of the other four victims in this helicopter crash. We do not yet know.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy and you know, Brian, this is just a blow it's such a shock to so many. I mean I think even if you didn't know him and you just watched him, you know, from afar, just like I did, I mean your heart just sinks. You just can't help but feel so sad, you know, about all of this.

Brian and Christine, yes, he did.

STELTER: You know, he did the game better. You know he brought in so many new fans for the Lakers, but for the NBA as well.

For many people, a generation of the Lakers is represented by Kobe Bryant, and that is why we are seeing such an outpouring of emotion, so much heartbreak right now.

WHITFIELD: All right, let me also -- Brian, stick around, don't go anywhere. Christine, you're still with me, too. CNN World Sport anchor, Don Riddell also joining us now.

So Don, you know, talk to us specifically about international audiences. I mean, this is a young man who also grew up in part overseas, so he really was a global citizen. And he brought that experience to the NBA. He talked, you know, prolifically about his childhood, his upbringing, and how it also prepared him, you know, to be the figure in sports that he had become.

DON RIDDELL, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, absolutely, Fredricka. I mean, a lot of us in this business are supposed to be able to produce words very easily. I think for a lot of people today, it's going to be very, very difficult to find the words to describe how people feel about what we now know has transpired today.

I think the world of sport is in a state of considerable shock right now.

[15:15:02]

RIDDELL: You're absolutely right Kobe Bryant, a legend -- a legend of the NBA, an American sports legend and an icon and an international sports icon, too.

Of course, Kobe Bryant played only for one club during his incredible career, 20 years with the LA Lakers. It was during that time that the NBA truly became a global sports brand.

You're going to be seeing sports fans all over the world in shock today at news of Kobe Bryant's passing at the age of just 41 years old.

We know about his achievements. I mean, his list of accomplishments and records are almost too long to list, but five NBA titles with the Lakers including that famous three-peat of the year, 2000, 2001, and 2002 when they won in three consecutive years. He won five NBA titles. He was the finals MVP twice.

Just last night, you know, the timing is almost quite chilling here. LeBron James, currently of the LA Lakers actually passed Kobe Bryant scoring record to move into number three on the all-time scoring list in the NBA.

And LeBron stood there in the locker room and spoke for, I think a good four minutes about Kobe Bryant, and what Kobe meant to LeBron and how Kobe inspired LeBron before he even knew his name.

The fact that Kobe went straight from high school into the NBA, which of course LeBron did himself several years later, of what they have meant to each other. It is just absolutely devastating.

I'm seeing so many comments now on social media from other basketball players, other athletes, not just in America, all over the world, sports fans, and the main theme is, this just cannot be true.

I think, you know, we're used to breaking news happening and, you know, it becoming a matter of fact fairly quickly. But I think with this one, people just -- they don't want to accept it and they are unable to accept it. I think this just is absolutely, genuinely devastating and absolutely shocking for so many people.

WHITFIELD: Right. I think it's clear we're all feeling that pit in our stomach, that feeling of disbelief that this really cannot be.

Don, I wonder if you could share more on the choice whether it was Kobe Bryant's choice, or the LA Lakers choice to be associated, to be attached to a singular team for so long, when there are so many players in the NBA that you watch, you know, it's still admired to bounce from one team to another, but there were something about his connection with the LA Lakers and vice versa.

RIDDELL: Yes, you're right. Can you imagine? Twenty years with one team, and that's it, you don't play for anyone else. Of course, he wasn't drafted by the Lakers. He was drafted by the Hornets and was traded fairly quickly to the Lakers where he made his name and his career, and of course, made the Lakers into a global brand as well.

I mean, you're right. You don't really see this often in the NBA, you don't really see it from anybody in any professional sport, not these days.

I mean, back in the old days, that's how it used to be. You know, players would become a one-club man or a one-team man, but you really don't see it very often.

So I mean, that that is extraordinary and noteworthy in itself. And Fredricka, another thing that I think people are going to be reflecting on today is his incredible work ethic.

People who played with him, played against him, got to know him personally will tell you that they have never seen anybody with a work ethic like Kobe Bryant.

The guy just didn't ever want to beat. He just didn't ever want to second. I actually, just before we came on air, I looked up some of the great Kobe Bryant quotes, and I think they really speak to the man, the moment you give up is the moment that you let somebody else win.

He said, I can't relate to lazy people, we don't speak the same language. I don't understand you and I don't want to understand you.

And one that really caught my eye, especially now given the divisive times that we live in and we know that sports fans like to jeer and pick on players they don't like and boo, he said, haters are a good problem to have. Nobody hates the good ones. They only hate the great ones.

And Kobe Bryant absolutely was one of the great ones, one of the all- time great basketball players in the NBA, one of the all-time great athletes globally of all time.

WHITFIELD: And as we reflect on one of the greatest, I mean, it's hard to see also the images that are ongoing right now, that smoldering crash site there in Calabasas and to think as investigators still try to figure out what went wrong, how this went wrong.

[15:20:06]

WHITFIELD: And now to hear the news that this site now associated with the death of 41-year-old Lakers icon, NBA champion, Kobe Bryant, just sickening and just heartbreaking.

Thank you so much for all of you. We're going to take a short break for now, and we will continue with this breaking news of NBA player, Kobe Bryant, dead at the age of 41 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield from Washington, D.C.

Horrible, sad, tragic news to pass on to you. The world has lost a great one. Five-time NBA champion, Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers at the age of 41 years old, confirmation now that he was among five who have died from a helicopter crash earlier today in Southern California in Calabasas, California not far from Malibu.

[15:25:10]

WHITFIELD: The circumstances of the crash are unclear, but we did hear from an official earlier who said that some bikers saw an aircraft in distress and then saw this aircraft go down, authorities were called.

And of course, you're seeing pictures now still the smoldering debris and just moments ago confirmation that Kobe Bryant was among those five on board.

Our own reporting is such that that was his personal helicopter. I want to bring in now, Omar Jimenez; also soon to join us, CNN Sports Analyst, Christine Brennan, as well as Brian Stelter.

So Omar, what are you hearing right now about the circumstances? We heard from an official earlier who said it was unclear, you know, the origin of this flight and its destination. Are we learning anything more?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's what we're trying to piece through at the moment. We know that this helicopter went down around one o'clock Eastern Time in the afternoon in Southern California, you mentioned in the Calabasas region near Malibu.

Five people confirmed on that helicopter and all five of them we have heard from fire officials are now dead, including as sources confirmed to CNN, 41-year-old Kobe Bryant. We are still working to find out the identity of the other four people on that helicopter.

But we know just over the years we have seen Kobe Bryant has used helicopters to frequently travel across the Los Angeles area. So it is likely that the people that were in that helicopter he knew pretty closely, so we are trying to confirm those details.

And we know that even just last night, Kobe Bryant has obviously been in the headlines even well after his retirement, but it was last night that LeBron James had just passed Kobe Bryant for the for the third all-time score in the NBA.

And I want to read you the final tweet that Kobe Bryant put up obviously, before this absolutely tragic crash that we are following right now, "Continuing to move the game forward at King James. Much respect my, brother," and the hashtag of the total points.

This was someone that continually was moving the game forward himself, someone that was an inspiration to not just the players around the NBA, but of course, countless others across the world. These are absolutely tragic details. And even on a personal note, as someone who grew up playing

basketball, getting all the way up to the big 10 level, the Mamba mentality that he cemented and made his signature, that hard work ethic is something that's always been instilled within me, always instilled within countless other basketball players across the world.

And obviously this is devastating news not just because of Kobe Bryant, but also the others that are on board as well.

We're going to continue to follow it on our end and we are pushing for more details that we are trying to confirm right now. And once we get those, I'll be sure to get them to you as quickly as possible -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: And Omar, while you are reporting on it, you've also just revealed you know, you're a big fan. We've all been big fans of, you know, Kobe Bryant. Watching him, you know and talk to me since you were a college player looking at him from afar and he was someone who is a testament from going from high school as a player into the NBA and then sticking with this one team for nearly, you know, his entire 20-year professional career.

Talk to me about what you, as a young player admiring him, what it was that you admired in this basketball great of Kobe Bryant?

JIMENEZ: I think you could just see the passion that he brought to the game and the level of dedication that he brought to the game that you really weren't seeing in a lot of other places, you know, across the NBA. Certainly, just across the world and in any other industry.

And so to watch someone like that, the attention to detail that he had with every single move that he was taking, if he missed a certain shot, he would go back in the gym at all hours of the night and put up thousands of that same type shop just to make sure he wouldn't miss it that next time.

And one of the things that even sticks out to me even to this day was his last game in the NBA. The last game you ever played against the Utah Jazz, I remember, I had to be up in at work as we usually are at three o'clock in the morning and this was a West Coast game that went all the way up until one o'clock in the morning.

I couldn't go to bed, because Kobe Bryant was on his way to a 60-point performance in his final game. And I remember watching and I almost -- I almost have a tear right now thinking about it.

But watching that game, and just to see a career like that come full circle in a way for someone that has inspired so many people, including myself, I think, I, among so many others are in shock seeing the news today.

And I just pray for his family. I can't imagine how difficult it is for them, and I just know moving forward this is going to be an investigation that brings out even more tragic details for an already tragic story -- Fred.

WHITFIELD: Omar, thank you so much. That's so touching. It's hitting, I think everybody. You are not alone, believe me and again Kobe Bryant, you know, father of four young girls; his wife, Vanessa.

[15:30:12]

WHITFIELD: Again, we don't know all of the people on board this helicopter. We just have confirmation now that Kobe Bryant, among them.

CNN's Brian Stelter and CNN sports analysts, Christine Brennan, sports anchor Don Riddell all with me now reflecting on this NBA great and really, you know, great on so many levels because, you know, Brian, he was a versatile individual.

You know, of course, it was the NBA playing for the Lakers. That's what got the world's attention, but at the same time, he branched out. I mean, just like his tweet, you know, last night, you know, or the tweet from LeBron James.

I mean, this is an individual who saw looking forward branching out. He had children's books. He had animated projects, television projects, film projects to help young people, the next generation learn, grow reach their best, just like he had that opportunity.

STELTER: He even won an Academy Award a couple of years ago, an Academy Award for Best Animated Short back in 2018, for a film he worked on, called "Dear Basketball" and I think partly his interest in helping the next generation stemmed from his four daughters, from his four children, all of whom are still children.

One of them Capri, was born just last June, so still an infant. His other children, some of them show a lot of interest in basketball. Gianna, who is in high school, she's an emerging basketball star in her own right.

She was recently seen at a game with her dad, learning how the sport is played. It looked like he was tutoring her in a couple of different ways and that makes this was all the more heartbreaking.

Kobe was married to Vanessa for almost 20 years and as I mentioned earlier, he would commute back and forth in this helicopter that he owned.

One of the frightening questions right now is who else was on this helicopter when he was traveling this morning? So it would have been about 10:00 a.m. local time there in Southern California.

It seems like he was heading north, but we don't know to where. We don't know who was with him.

WHITFIELD: Hey, so Brian on that, that he would customarily travel, you know, in his own chopper there. Is it your understanding that he would also pilot it or he had another pilot? He had a pilot and he, as a passenger in his own chopper?

STETLER: Yes, my best understanding is he had a pilot that would be taking him to and from. Back when he was playing for the Lakers, you know, he said that the helicopter helped him stay in great form. You know, otherwise he would have to take a two-hour long drive and

his body would get all tight before the games. So he viewed it as a tool for his performance playing for the Lakers.

We don't know anything more as was mentioned about this helicopter and who else was on board, that we'll have to wait and see.

WHITFIELD: Okay, Brian, hold it right there. Our Nick Watt is there in the area of Calabasas where again we are still seeing smoldering, you know, debris near where that chopper went down. Nick, what are you learning?

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far authorities are pretty tight lipped as to what might have been the cause of this accident.

They say they are very early in the investigation, but they did get reports from people who were cycling in the area that an aircraft, a helicopter was in distress and Greg, if you can push in, you can see where that helicopter hit the side of that hill.

We are just slightly inland from Malibu and Calabasas. You can see the smoke there. We're told that the impact did ignite a small brush fire in the area, but we expect within the next few hours to get more details of exactly why this happened.

Now, the visibility is a possibility. That was a question that was raised. Authorities again saying too early to tell. But as you can see, it's not a clear blue day here in Southern California today, but there was no rain. It is though not fantastic visibility. We hope to hear more.

And listen, the other thing that's happening right now is the reaction to this. Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles was perhaps the archetypal athlete and superstar. He transcended his sport he was of this city and the reaction so far has been a loss for words really.

I mean, around here, we've seen people shedding tears, people just looking up at the crash site, not really talking, and you know, I was listening to KNX Radio on the way over here and one local sportscaster said, this is one of those moments like, where were you when JFK died? This is one of those moments. Where were you when you heard about Kobe?

We're also getting some reaction online from Scottie Pippen, "I'm stunned. Words can't even come close to describing it." Paul Pierce, "This is not real right now." JJ Watt, "Can't be true." Kevin Love, "Please, no. Please God, no."

[15:35:14]

WATT: So this city, which was Kobe Bryant's home, he played here for 20 years. He was of Los Angeles, real shock right now.

But so far, not that many answers as to why and how this happened. Back to you. WHITFIELD: Oh my gosh. Yes, this feeling of disbelief, I think

everyone is feeling. And it's just, you know, I know, you know, people are hearing it for the first time and it has been confirmed by authorities, but it's still so hard to believe. This young man, 41- year-old who made such an impact on the NBA, such a huge impact on the LA Lakers, on the City of Los Angeles, as you said.

You know, Nick, transcending sports, being a part of that community there. I hope that you do get an opportunity to talk to a number of those people who have come out that we just saw. You know the camera panned over how many people have come out who are fans who are shedding tears.

Now, earlier we heard from officials they said still unclear the origin of the chopper flight, its destination, that yes, there was some fog but unclear whether visibility was indeed a factor. Have authorities taken this investigation any further just say they have gleaned anything with any certainty from the crash site thus far?

WATT: They have not. I mean, the F.A.A. has come out to confirm the type of helicopter and that is pretty much it.

So far from authorities, all we've really been hearing about is their emergency response to this event and the fact that this brush fire was sparked. We are expecting to hear from authorities again within a couple of hours, but listen, the how and the why is really secondary here. The headline is what has happened.

Kobe Bryant, this great of the game, this great of American culture, this great of Los Angeles has perished on this hillside here in Calabasas.

WHITFIELD: All right, Nick Watt, thank you so much. Keep us posted. Again, tragic news. The world has lost a great NBA great, Kobe Bryant, among five who perished in this helicopter crash there in Southern California. We'll have more right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:59]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield in Washington, D.C. A terribly sad news to report to you, 41-year-old Kobe Bryant has been killed in a helicopter crash in Southern California. Four others on that helicopter also died in this crash just outside of Malibu.

Most recently, CNN had a chance to sit down and talk with Kobe Bryant. It was with Andy Scholes in sports and he was in Los Angeles just 11 days ago at a season launch event for Major League Soccer. Let's listen in to that interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: You were one of the early investors into Body Armour. It's grown so much over the years. How cool is it now to be a partner with Major League Soccer?

KOBE BRYANT, FORMER NBA PROFESSIONAL PLAYER: No, it's crazy, man, because when we first started the company, it was such a small company. And we had this vision of doing these big things and servicing the athletes and educating them on nutrition and hydration and to find ourselves here now in partnership with MLS.

And MLS is -- I mean, they've taken off, too. It is coming up on 25 years now, and the game has done nothing but grow, and so to have this relationship together as we look forward to doing some big things.

SCHOLES: I know you're big Barcelona fan, how do you think they're going to fare and where do you think Messi ranks in terms of best athletes in the world right now?

BRYANT: I think he is one of the best athletes of all time. His tenacity, the intelligence with which he plays as well as his skill, just put some head and shoulders above the rest.

Now Cristiano is right there with him. I think Barcelona right now is going through the transition period. Changing manager. There's a lot of questions to be answered. But I think they'll figure it out.

SCHOLES: The NBA fans love to debate, you know which team from which era was better. Shaq recently weighed in saying that he absolutely thinks you and him would have beaten this current Lakers team with LeBron and Anthony Davis. What's your take on that hypothetical matchup?

BRYANT: I don't weigh in on hypotheticals. Because as a competitor, there's nothing you can do about them. You can debate yourself to winning something, right? That is the beauty about sports, as you compete, you either win or you lose.

In the debate culture, there's never a clear winner, but it's fun to hear.

SCHOLES: You recently said your daughter, Gigi got you back into watching a lot of NBA. You've taken her to bunch of games this year, sitting courtside with her. As you watch games with her and coach her through her basketball journey, I wanted to get your take on if you think a woman could ever play in the NBA one day.

BRYANT: Play in the NBA. I think there are a couple players that can play in the NBA right now honestly. There's a lot of players that have a lot of skill that can do it.

Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore, Elena Delle Donne, I mean, there's a lot of great players out there and so, they could most certainly keep up with them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: All right, an interview with our Andy Scholes just 11 days ago of NBA star, Kobe Bryant. Of course this news hitting everyone hard that Kobe Bryant was among five in a helicopter that went down in Calabasas, California just outside of Malibu earlier today.

This five-time NBA champion, two time MVP player. He was an NBA player. He was a mentor, a real leader involved in books, movies, television productions, already very much sorely missed.

[15:45:15]

WHITFIELD: It is also been reported by officials there that Kobe Bryant and four others were on a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter.

We heard from our Brian Stelter earlier that this is indeed the helicopter that Kobe Bryant customarily would travel in, in the Los Angeles County even when he was a player. He would arrive at the NBA games at the Staples Center in his own helicopter. He found it to be the more relaxing route prior to a game.

We want to find out more now about this type of helicopter, this Sikorsky S-76. Joining me right now Jacob Benkovski, a helicopter pilot. He flies this type of aircraft, a Sikorsky S-76, the same chopper that Kobe Bryant was in.

And so I'm wondering if you can tell me as you look at this debris field, if you have an opportunity to see a monitor right now and see we're looking at what appears to be a portion of the tail and the scattering of debris in at least this image here and the decimation of a lot of other debris. What are you seeing in this? What are you reading from this?

JACOB BENKOVSKI, HELICOPTER PILOT (via phone): So based on images, I can't confirm whether or not this was mechanical error or weather- related error. But based on some of the reports that we're getting, it seems like the weather was foggy. It seems like the weather conditions were not ideal for helicopter flight and I am leaning a lot more towards the weather-related incident.

WHITFIELD: What do you know about this aircraft? How many persons can it hold? Is this one customarily used for you know, short distances, long distances? What can you tell me?

BENKOVSKI: So the S-76 is similar to the helicopter I have experienced with which is the S-70. This helicopter usually carries a crew of 13. It could be customized to carry as many, much less than that if certain features are added.

This is probably one of the most reliable helicopters out there. It is a very good helicopter. Having said that, when weather is involved, everything goes out the window and there's no predictability on whether or not a safe flight can be had.

WHITFIELD: And that is just the case for any helicopter or aircraft or are you saying that is a particular thing to keep in mind with this type of helicopter?

BENKOVSKI: No, it is definitely an issue with any type of aircraft whatsoever, a plane, a helicopter -- anything that's in air. Once weather, especially visibility, which seems to be the most commonly reported cause for this accident as of right now, when visibility is decreased, what happens is pilots usually enter something called IFR mode which is Instrument Flight Rules mode, which happens when IMC happens, Instrument Meteorological Conditions.

That is basically a mode where you see nothing outside and you have to rely on the instruments in the helicopter. Imagine this as driving on the road and everything outside becomes dark and you have to rely only on your GPS and your speedometer.

When you're flying in this type of mode, it's a lot more difficult than flying outside and seeing everything around you because you have to rely on maps, you have to rely on altimeters, which tells you the altitude and there are certain obstacles that are harder to avoid because you cannot see outside.

Having said that, this is probably one of the most common modes that aviation accidents occur in.

WHITFIELD: All right, Ben, I mean Jacob, Benkovski. Thank you so much. I want to bring in Mary Schiavo, CNN transportation analyst and former Inspector General for the Department of Transportation.

As you look at this debris field, and you see what appear to be at least a couple of very large chunks of the aircraft, at least I'm seeing from my naked eye, very two very large chunks and then you see a very scattered debris field. How do you examine this from afar? What do you see from this image?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST: Well, from this image, I mean I do what I always do is go back to the flight radar first of all, and then consider other crashes that I've worked on and the flight radar gives us a tremendous amount of evidence.

This plane was over downtown Los Angeles and for those of us who have lived in LA, a highly populated area. It was at an altitude of around 2,300 feet. It made several circles around downtown, you know, kind of just north of a very populated Los Angeles and then it headed out to Calabasas as it was losing altitude, which suggests to me -- and Calabasas is not very populated. There aren't a lot of parks there, walking trails, mountains, et cetera.

It almost looks to me -- now this is a big guess, but because it's circled men times, a tight circle over downtown LA and started losing altitude. , I think this plane got mechanical problems over downtown LA and the pilot was trying to find a place to put it down or to save an awful lot of lives.

WHITFIELD: And so Mary, you know this or you've surmise this because you have had access to the flight pattern.

SCHIAVO: Right.

WHITFIELD: You're able to see -- tell me what you were able to look at and why that's incremental as you look at investigations all the time, why you look at the origin of its takeoff and the pattern to discern what possibly could have happened? SCHIAVO: Well, when you're looking to discern between a weather

problem or a mechanical problem, you know, you have to look at what the plane itself was doing, and when the plane is making a lot of tight circles where it was intended to head, and then it heads out over an unpopulated area.

Sometimes for example, I've worked several crashes where the pilots tried to go to areas that weren't so populated if they thought they could get the aircraft down, or they were concerned that they were getting into a situation where they couldn't control the plane.

And so that gives us clues and I looked at flight radar, I looked at the altitude, I looked at the path of the plane and I looked at these circles, and people might be able to get, you know, an idea of what this helicopter is like by telling them that it's similar to the Black Hawk, the Black Hawk helicopter that is used worldwide by military operations everywhere.

It's a pretty heavy duty aircraft. Yes, it has had, you know, crashes in the past, of course, but they've been widely variant on the causes, and many of them were modified, including top secret modifications by the United States military.

This plane is of course not or aircraft is not among them, but it is along the line of a Blackhawk helicopter.

WHITFIELD: Hey, so Mary, perhaps you were listening to my conversation with Jacob Benkovski, who is also a pilot who is familiar with, you know, flying this kind of Sikorsky chopper and he talked about, you know, the weather and fog.

Now talk to me about you know, fog is measured differently for an aircraft versus a helicopter. You know, helicopter you can fly lower for a longer period of time, but talk to me about the calculus for a pilot of a helicopter to determine whether it's too foggy, it's just foggy enough, you know, the potential perils are dangerous that may be associated with fog for a helicopter versus an airplane.

SCHIAVO: Well, a helicopter particularly, operating over Los Angeles, you have to have enough space, you have to be able to see all the buildings. Obviously, there are tremendous navigation programs where you don't have to rely on the look out the window and see method, if you will, visual flight rules -- VFR.

But here, of course, it depends what the fog layer was over Los Angeles. So it's possible. They were circling these very tight circles over just north of downtown LA to where they were going to land and they could not do it because of the fog.

But in this case looking at the wreckage, it does not look like what we had was called a CFIT, a Controlled Flight Into Terrain where you can't see because of the fog and you hit an obstacle, you hit a mountain, you hit a hill, you hit a TV tower. It does not look like a CFIT accident. It looks to me like the idea helicopter was in trouble and went down because it was losing altitude.

WHITFIELD: All right, transportation analyst Mary Schiavo. Thank you so much.

As we hear from the experts on, you know, studying a crash site and we're looking at the smoldering debris from this helicopter that crashed into this hillside in Calabasas, California. We cannot forget that among those on board. Five people killed in this helicopter crash, among them NBA legend, Kobe Bryant at the age of 41.

Back with me now, Don Riddell, Christine Brennan, Brian Stelter, and you know, Don, we heard, you know, from our Nick Watt earlier, he read the tweets coming from people -- from Scottie Pippen, to JJ Watt, you know, NBA to the NFL.

And you know, there are people who have gathered, who were fans of Kobe Bryant, everyone being hit hard. Everyone feeling like disbelief. This cannot be. Talk to me about the reaction that you've seen from the sports world and beyond.

RIDDELL: Yes, Fredricka, I think you can probably relate to this. Our timelines on our social media feeds these days are just consumed with what's going on in Washington, D.C. and the political situation in this country.

My timeline is just consumed now with news and reaction to Kobe Bryant. As we've been saying, over the last half hour or so here on CNN, just a complete state of shock. So many people just do not want to believe it.

Of course, we're getting reaction from the basketball world, the American sports world, but the international sports world, too.

We've had reaction from the soccer clubs in Europe, Paris and German and AC Milan. Reaction from the world of tennis of course, the Australian Open is happening in Melbourne right now.

[15:55:11]

RIDDELL: They're just getting to start playing in the second week, down under in Australia today.

Interestingly enough, not that long ago, one of the world's top tennis players, Novak Djokovic was describing how he feels about Kobe Bryant, this of course, before we knew the news today, but Djokovic saying he considers Kobe Bryant to be a mentor.

Djokovic at various stages in his career has struggled with injury and the mental problems that come with the pain and the anguish and the uncertainty of an injury. And he said that he had several conversations with Kobe Bryant and he basically said, I love Kobe, who doesn't? He's just an amazing guy, and one of the best.

And this is how so many basketball players and basketball fans, other athletes and other fans all around the world feel about Kobe Bryant.

You know, when he played the last of those 20 seasons for the LA Lakers in 2015-2016, he knew that this was kind of going to be a farewell tour for him visiting all the cities around the NBA teams in the country, and he did not want to fuss to be made.

These are places that historically would have booed him, not because he was a bad player, they booed him because he was a great player, and he was coming into town to mess with their team. And he said, I don't want to fuss.

But it didn't really matter what he thought because the league just felt compelled to honor him every single night with video reels, all the rest of it.

And just last night, we had LeBron James talking about him after he passed his record. We can talk about that later in the day. Back to you -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and that is bittersweet. And you know, Christine, we've got about 15 seconds left. You know, no one wants to put it this way, 41 years old, but what's his legacy?

BRENNAN: Well, the legacy is, he is great basketball player and then moving on into our culture in a huge way and because of the way his life has now been lost, you think of athletes whose lives cut short; Knute Rockne, a coach, and of course Payne Stewart that adds to the legacy --

WHITFIELD: I'll have to leave it right there. Thank you so much, Christine Brennan, Brian Stelter, Don Riddell. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Our hearts go out to Kobe Bryant's family, his wife, Vanessa, four children as we all try to digest this very terribly sad news, the loss of a great one.

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