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Kobe Bryant and Daughter Gianna Killed in a Helicopter Crash. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired January 26, 2020 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: They will update us with any new information and we'll go there live as soon as those officials are ready to speak.

Kobe Bryant of course, legendary not only known for his 20 years as a Los Angeles Lakers where he won five NBA championships, but he also earned two Olympic gold medals, even an academy award.

This statement just now from the National Basketball Players Association, "We are stunned and devastated by the news of the passing, the sudden passing of Kobe Bryant. Words cannot express his impact on our players, the NBA and the game of basketball. This is a monumental loss for the entire basketball community and our hearts are quite simply broken. We send love and prayers out to his wife Vanessa and the entire family."

CNN's Nick Watt joins us in Calabasas, California, not far from where that helicopter crashed. And Nick, you have new information on where they were heading. Tell us more.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, I have spoken to two parents who were at the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, where kids, teams, parents were waiting for Kobe Bryant's arrival. His daughter Gigi's team that Kobe was involved in coaching, was expected to play there in a game at 12:00 noon and they did not arrive.

I have seen some video from that tournament where when the news broke, there were audible gasps, cries, screams, kids stopped playing on bended knee, praying for Kobe, for his daughter and for the other victims of that crash.

As you mentioned, Ana, we will be hearing shortly from the L.A. County sheriff and L.A. County fire department, hopefully getting a bit more information. So far, we know that the helicopter crashed into that hillside beside me -- behind me.

We can still see first responders up there. We know that the NTSB has launched a go team. We know that the FAA will be investigating. No official word yet on what might have caused this crash, but speaking to people who live around here, they say they heard a very loud noise as that helicopter impacted on to that hillside.

Ans also, it's not a particularly clear day right now, but speaking to people, they say earlier this morning when this accident happened, there was fog in this area. As I say, no official word on cause.

We do not know that visibility was an issue, but I have spoken to a pilot, a friend of mine in this area, who said he did not fly today because of the visibility.

But Ana, hopefully, we will be getting some more information. But listen, why is secondary right now, Los Angeles, basketball, this country and frankly large parts of the world in mourning and disbelief that this has happened.

I just spoke to one young man with a thousand yards stare in his eyes, wearing a Lakers jersey saying disbelief, denial. Kobe Bryant is the reason that I started watching basketball, and then he just looks off into the distance.

Of course, Kobe Bryant transcended that sport. He was Los Angeles through and through, played here 20 years. He was known in the community. He promoted sports for both young boys and girls. He was much, much loved here. Right now, shock, disbelief and frankly, speechlessness. Ana?

CABRERA: Okay, thank you very much, Nick Watt. We will again check back with you as we learn new information and we're standing by for that news conference where we hope to have a lot more information about how this tragedy occurred.

I also want to read you some more reaction pouring in this afternoon. This time former President Obama tweeting this, "Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on this unthinkable day."

Let's go to ESPN's Mike Golic now who joins us on the phone. Thank you very much Mike for joining us. What is you reaction to this news?

MIKE GOLIC, HOST, ESPN's GOLIC AND WINGO SHOW (via telephone): I think, I don't know, like everybody else. I'm in shock, absolute shock when it started crossing the wire. I mean, you know, the people I work with on twitter and all the other people on twitter.

You saw everybody was hoping and praying it was, you know, wrong, that it was a hoax, that something -- just something about it wasn't going to be right.

But then as it was being confirmed, I mean, just pure shock and devastation that somebody like Kobe, who was just obviously in the news with Lebron James just passing him for third on the all-time list and just all the talk of Kobe and then, you know, and just like that, he's gone.

CABRERA: What do you see as his legacy in the NBA world?

GOLIC: Well, I mean, he's a guy -- and forget even NBA. I would take it even further into sports for those in the professional ranks and I was fortunate enough to play a lot of years in the NFL. [17:05:00]

But even in professional sports, athletes separate themselves. There are people that can make it to that level and people that exceed at that level, and he was one of those. I mean, he was in a separate room from most of professional athletes.

And then you go to the NBA, if most basketball players. And so much worked around his work ethic, which you know, his father was a player, played over in Italy. Didn't do a whole lot in the NBA.

But then, you know, playing high school in Philadelphia, got blue collar town, you know, I think it really drove his work ethic and that really went through to the NBA going straight from high school to the NBA.

And I think even NBA players, even his peers and peers in other sports were just amazed at his focus his tenacity and his work ethic to get what he wanted, and that's one of the greatest players ever.

CABRERA: Yes, it's interesting when you talk about his work ethic because that is something consistently that we've been hearing from every single person who I've interviewed this afternoon and people who known 0him very well, fiends of his who knew him not just on the court but also in other capacities in which he had interest, including the music world.

They talked about how hard he worked. But it seemed like that work ethic wasn't just self-serving. In many ways they talk about how he believed in other people and sort of brought other people up with him. What was your sense about kind of his relationships on the court or in the sports world and the impact that he had in helping other people succeed?

GOLIC: Well, most of that is by example. That's what -- if you're in that locker room or you're in that sport -- and everybody, if you're in a sport, you want to attain the highest level. You want to be in that profession and then you want to be at the top of that profession.

So, you know, you do everything you have to do to get there. And that's exactly what he did. So, a lot of times what you do as a teammate or somebody in that sport, you see his success and then you see how he achieved it. What did he do?

And that then comes to the work ethic. Take care of his body, working. All the things he does, studying the game, you know, behind the scenes. It's not just (inaudible) watching film. It's asking questions to him when you understand what he has to try and learn more.

So, a lot of it is certainly leading by example, but also leading by example of just the way he played and his focus, which you know, a lot of times, you know, he was -- and it happens.

It's not like it doesn't happen everywhere else where sometimes, you know, you get in fights on the court and practice, teammates, you know, argue with you. The same thing happened with Michael Jordan because of how tough he were on teammates because you wanted that team to win a championship.

You know, you wanted not only greatness for yourself, but you wanted greatness from your team. You wanted championships for him. It was all about the team and winning. And he knew he had to be great to win but he knew others had to help as well. So, that's kind of the bar he set. That's the foundation he set for everybody else.

CABRERA: What is your lasting memory of Kobe Bryant?

GOLIC: Well, it's going to be that. And I think that he just didn't represent the NBA. He represented athletes all over the world. Obviously, soccer fans as well. I mean, this guy, because the game is a global game, he was known globally.

And, you know, how involved he was getting in really the second act of all the things he was getting involved in after basketball, which certainly -- listen, you're doing it now and on my show tomorrow on ESPN, we're going to be talking a lot about Kobe.

But also the work ethic he's instilling in his kids and that is something that is just devastating to me as a parent and knowing that his wife Vanessa, you know, lost not only a husband and a great player who we'll talk about, but a 13-year-old child.

I mean, that just -- that just gives me chills when I hear that. And from what I understand, you know, another one of her teammates or another young girl, you know, and that surviving parent lost a child.

And so, that was Kobe, what he was in sports. He was investing that same kind of thought process going forward into Gia (ph) who wanted to play into the WNBA. So, you know, inspiring the carpet (ph) of young men and women coming up.

So, that part of it is gone as well from what he was doing. And certainly, just the hopes and dreams of a couple of young girls is gone (ph) like that. That to me is just so, so devastating.

CABRERA: Mike, we've been playing throughout our show some of the ways teams are honoring Kobe Bryant as they're learning this news, but the NBA decided to keep playing games today. They haven't stopped. Is that the right decision?

GOLIC: There is no way that Kobe Bryant would want them to stop playing basketball. So, I know a couple of teams are honoring him by running out the 24-second clock because of the number 24. And there will be all kinds of, you know, moments of silence and things like that.

But if there was one thing Kobe would want, he would want them to keep playing the game that he loved so much and a game that meant so much to him and how much he was done for the game. He would want them playing the game, but don't get me wrong.

[17:10:00]

It's going to be very, very difficult for a lot of these guys to be playing games today, tomorrow, you know, up through, you know, the funeral. It is going to be very, very difficult for that to happen, but the players are going to do it.

CABRERA: ESPN's Mike Golic, thank you for the time this afternoon.

And as we go to break, NBA legend, Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is reacting to the news of Kobe Bryant's death, tweeting this, "Most people will remember Kobe as the magnificent athlete who inspired a whole generation of basketball players, but I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete." He also posted this video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, NBA ALL-TIME LEADING SCORER: It's very difficult for me to put in words how I feel about the loss of Kobe Bryant. As a young boy, I met him when he was 11 or 12 years old. I was friends with his dad, Joe.

We were former adversaries. Joe played for the '76ers, but he was a good friend and someone that I shared a friendship. And it's hard for me to understand now how this is affecting Joe and his wife. So, to Kobe's family I want to send my most sincere and heartfelt regrets and prayers, and my thoughts are with you guys.

Kobe was an incredible family man. He loved his wife and daughters. He was an incredible athlete and a leader in a lot of ways. He inspired a whole generation of young athletes. He was one of the first ones to leave high school and come into the NBA and do so well, dominating the game and becoming one of the best scorers that the Los Angeles Lakers has ever seen.

I had the privilege of being there when he scored his 81-point game and it was something that I will always remember as one of the highlights of the things that I have learned and observed in sports. Kobe, my thoughts are with you, absolutely. Rest in peace, young man. This loss is just hard to comprehend. Go with God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:15:00]

CABRERA: Welcome back as we continue to cover the breaking news. Kobe Bryant has died today in a helicopter crash and the reaction all over the world is pouring in right now. Not only Kobe Bryant dying, but his 13-year-old daughter was on board as well along with three other people. There were no survivors.

From the sports world tonight, NBA star Scottie Pippen tweeting this, "I am stunned. Words can't even come close to describing it. Just an incredibly sad and tragic day."

The owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, saying, "We can never forget how precious life is. How those who are special to you and never let them forget how deeply you love them."Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, tweeted, "We miss you already, Kobe."

And also this from former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce with six words, "This is not real right now." NBA star Dwayne Wade really capturing the shock from this news that so many people are experiencing, tweeting, "Nooo God, please no!"

I want to bring back CNN's chief media correspondent Brian Stelter. And Brian, we're also getting a statement from Nike.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And Nike was a partner of Kobe Bryant for many years. He spent the early part of his career with Adidas and then switched over to Nike in 2003 so they've been in business for a long time together.

And Nike statement says, "Along with millions of athletes and fans throughout the world, we are devastated by today's tragic news. We extend our deepest sympathies to those closest to Kobe, especially his family and friends. He was one of the greatest athletes of his generation and has had an immeasurable impact on the world of sport and the community of basketball. He was a beloved member of the Nike family. We miss him greatly. Mamba forever."

We're referring to his nickname, Black Mamba. You know, there are crowds gathering near the Staple Center right now. The Grammys are tonight so it's all busy down there.

There are fans of Kobe Bryant gathering bringing bouquets of flowers down by L.A. live. And of course, there are NBA games going on across the country today. We mentioned one of the tributes earlier, the Raptors game. We were out with the Atlanta Hawks. The game is about to start there in Atlanta. And here is what some of the fans outside the arena said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a huge Laker fan, I go all way back to Norm Nixon -- seeing Kobe playing numerous times out in L.A., and so, man, this is devastating. I couldn't believe when I heard it. But again, once you hear about things like that, you just never know, but man, huge Lakers fan.

Thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family, man. You know, coming here to see the Hawks just to be a part of the NBA, but this is not the news you want to hear when you come to an NBA game, but definitely one of the greatest in my book. Definitely one of the greatest like, ever, man. So, thoughts and prayers to his family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STELTER: One of the rare individuals in the world known by just his first name, just by Kobe. And, you know, it was just last night in what turned out to be his last public statement that he kind of passed the ball over to Lebron James.

Kobe, until last night, was the number three all-time scorer in league history. Last night Lebron topped him. And Kobe said on twitter you're continuing to move the game forward, Lebron. Much respect. That was a post last night. He shared something similar on Instagram. I kind of imagine Lebron --

CABRERA: And Lebron James honoring him, too, back, wearing his shoes that he had given him apparently.

STELTER: Yes, that's right. Yes.

CABRERA: Also, thinking about him, honoring him and not knowing, obviously, it was the night before such a tragedy.

STELTER: Well, Lebron said it's crazy to even be in the same category as Kobe. And I think they had a couple of days, the first Lakers game in the wake of Kobe's death will be on Tuesday. And I can only imagine how emotional that will be.

CABRERA: And how do they even go about paying tribute to such an iconic person in their, obviously, their basketball arena and their community.

[17:20:07]

It's unbelievable. A lot of people are still trying to figure out what this means. Thank you, Brian Stelter. Stand by. I also want to show you what Shaquille O'Neal is saying today, reacting to this news.

Here is what he tweeted. "There are no words to express the pain I'm going through with this tragedy of losing my niece, Gigi and my brother, Kobe Bryant. I love you and you will be missed. My condolences go out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. I am sick right now." He also tweeted a series of pictures of the two of them together.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:25:00]

CABRERA: Continuing our breaking news coverage. We have new reaction coming in from outside L.A.'s Staple Center to the death of Kobe Bryant. Our Paul Vercammen is there outside and he has been talking with friends and fans there who are obviously emotional right now. And he just spoke to actor Danny Trejo, the star of movies like "Heat" and "Con Air." Let's listen to their conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- come here to show your support for Kobe.

DANNY TREJO, ACTOR: Yes.

VERCAMMEN: I mention Kobe Bryant and what do you think?

TREJO: Icon. He is part of L.A., you know, Kobe and his (inaudible). I did a commercial with him and he's so beautiful. A girlfriend of mine, Carmen, her son and her son's dad were huge like Laker fans, Kobe fans and, you know, nosebleed seats every single game.

And then his dad died. Christopher's dad died so he almost went into a depression. And I was doing a commercial with Kobe and I asked him if Christopher could come down and see him. He said bring him down. We were doing a commercial for his shoes, the Black Mamba.

VERCAMMEN: How did you hear about his death?

TREJO: Kobe shot hoops with this kid on the commercial because of his dad. You know, that's the kind of guy he was. When you're doing something, you don't want to be bothered but he actually called come on, come on, Christopher. Shot hoops with him, you know.

I heard about it this morning. I was doing an event at a car wash to raise some money for a kid that had died, and somebody came by and said hey, did you hear? I came down just to see, you know, just to be part of it.

VARCAMMEN: Thanks, Danny.

TREJO: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: Bryant's talent, his personality, his accomplishments, his philanthropy, it all extended far beyond the world of basketball. I want to show you this, from Brazilian soccer superstar, Neymar, who paid tribute to Kobe Bryant by holding up a 24 hand signal after scoring a goal during a game today.

You may recall during the 2006-2007 season, Kobe switched to the number 24 jersey with the Lakers, the same number he wore in high school. Again, being remembered on the soccer field today, we know today soccer was sort of his first love when it came to sports. And he has since done a lot with building that sport up as well.

I want to go back to Andy Scholes. And you have, Andy, reaction from the NBA commissioner now? What is he saying?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yes, Ana. I mean, this is certainly one of the darkest days in NBA history, and the NBA and Adam Silver releasing a statement just moments ago. I'll read it here for you.

It reads, "The NBA family is 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.

He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are legendary. Five NBA championships, an MVP award, 18 NBA All-Star selections, and two Olympic gold medals. But he will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability.

He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as a mission to share it with future generations of players, taking special delight in passing down his love of the game to Gianna. We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Vanessa, and their family, the Lakers organization and the entire sports world."

And Ana, you know, that's one thing that a lot of people are echoing today. You know, Kobe Bryant, we all know he was a ruthless competitor, maybe the biggest competitor we've ever seen in the NBA. He inspired so many people to just be their best at all time because he showed us what hard work, how it could pay off winning five NB championships, becoming one of the best players in NBA history.

And you know, after retiring, Kobe, he was still succeeding in the business world, you know. I recently got to sit down with him just 11 days ago at the MLS media day. And he was there because he was one of the early investors into the sports drink BodyArmor.

He put in a decent investment when the company back in its early days and he -- that investment increased 30 times what he put in. And he was there, speaking about that. I talked to him about many things. He was so proud of his daughter Gigi.

I remember, I've seen a clip that's trending right now on social media of Kobe talking with Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel asked him, you know, is your daughter Gigi, is her goal to play in the WNBA one day? And Kobe was like, yes, it is.

[17:30:04]

And he said, you know, when he sees people on the street when he was with his daughter and they were like Kobe, Kobe, you need to have a son to carry on your legacy. And Kobe would be like just laughing, and his daughter Gigi would be like, no he doesn't. I got it.

You know, she had already apparently, Ana, gotten that mamba mentality from Kobe and just how, you know, she was striving to be her best at the game of basketball just like he did. And it's just a devastating, devastating day that they both perished in that crash.

CABRERA: And these pictures of them are so beautiful, such happy times in their family and that special bond that they had over basketball between he and his daughter, Gigi. Again, both of them dying in this fiery crash that we are continuing to cover and hope to have more information about how it happened.

Andy Scholes, thank you very much for that additional reporting. Kobe Bryant retired from the NBA in 2016. So as we go to break, I want to bring you again the final moments of his last game where he just electrified the home crowd there with a 60-point performance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will Kobe give them one last gamer? Bryant, on the move, with the jumper. He got it!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my! 58!

(END VIDEO CLIP) (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CABRERA: Let's go live right now to a press conference on the helicopter crash that took the life of Kobe Bryant and his daughter and three other people.

[17:34:51]

(BEGIN LIVE VIDEO)

DARYL OSBY, CHIEF, LOS ANGELES COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT: Today, shortly before 10:00 at 9:47 a.m., the Los Angeles County Fire Department received a 911 call of a potential helicopter down and a brush fire at the intersection of Los Virgenes Road Willow Glen Street in the city of Calabasas and unincorporated Los Angeles County.

Upon arrival, our firefighters discovered an approximately quarter acre brush fire that resulted from a crash on the hillside. The Los Angeles County Fire Department initial response was 15 pieces of apparatus and 56 personnel that consisted of paramedics, engine company, heavy rescue, truck company, hand crews and aircraft and chief officer to oversee the incident.

Upon arrival, during the incident and upon arrival of the Sheriff's Department, our two respective departments entered into unified command to handle this incident. Our firefighters on scene indicated that there was a debris field and steep terrain with a quarter acre of brush fire that was occurring at the time.

Our firefighters hiked in to the accident site with their medical equipment and hose lines to extinguish the stubborn fire, as it included the brush fire, debris from the helicopter and the fire also included magnesium, which is very hard for our firefighters to extinguish because magnesium reacts with oxygen and water.

In addition to our firefighters hiking into the incident, we had one helicopter flying to the incident with firefighter paramedics on board. Those paramedics were hoisted down to the incident early into the incident. They did a search of the area for survivors. Unfortunately, all the survivors on board were determined to have been perished.

Firefighters and hand crews worked to distinguish the fire while carefully preserving the incident for investigation. And currently, the investigation is still ongoing. I will have to turn this over to my sheriff to continue the press briefing.

ALEX VILLANUEVA, SHERIFF, LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT: Thank you, Chief Osby. Personnel from Los Angeles Sheriff's (inaudible) and responded to the scene of the crash site and assisted the fire department. We've established a containment area and now our Aero Bureau has a handle on traffic or aircraft accidents.

However when there's a fatality, then it switches to the National Transportation Safety Bureau, the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA. FAA is already on scene and assisting. We're awaiting the arrival of the coroner's office to assist in the recovery of the remains.

As the chief indicated, there were no survivors. We have a manifest that indicates that there were nine people on board the aircraft, the pilot plus eight individuals. There is wide speculation as who the identities are.

However, it would be entirely inappropriate right now to identify anyone by name until the coroner has made the identification through their very deliberative process and they've made notifications to the next of kin.

And it would be extremely disrespectful to understand that your loved one has perished and that you learn about it from TMZ. That is just wholly inappropriate so we're not going to be going there. We're going to wait until the coroner does their job and we're assisting the families of those who believe they have been impacted.

It's a tough process and our hope goes out to all of the members who were on board, all the family of everyone who was on board this aircraft and God bless their souls.

So at this point in time, we have nothing that we can add until the coroner does their job and we'll be making those notifications when we have that information and we know the next of kin have been notified. Then we can release the information publicly. You'll be notified in subsequent announcements.

Sheriff, there's one thing you can confirm. Do we have a confirmation actually of nine bodies there at the scene?

VILLANUEVA: That is our belief, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So we realize at this point there are so many questions. There's a lot of information out there. And, again, we understand, you know, there's a lot of information that's floating, but we certainly have a responsibility and obligation out of respect, of course, for the families.

And this is a very difficult time for us all, for the city. We have the mayor here of Calabasas, also city council. We thank them for being here. And in fact, they wanted to pass on a message that for those in the community that want to gather here and are coming to Calabasas, if you do, you are welcome to join others at the de Anza Park in Calabasas. And the cross streets there are Lost Hills and las Virgenes.

[17:39:59]

Also, the Sheriff's Information Bureau will be sending out updates as to when there will be, if there is one, a press advisory out, a notification of another press conference or any other updates through our twitter. So, please look for that. Again, thank you so much for being here today and, again, thank you for your time.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One question for you, sheriff, please?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sheriff.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sheriff, we have more.

(END LIVE VIDEO)

CABRERA: Okay. We just learned some more information there as we listened into Los Angeles officials. The big headline there is that they believe nine people were on board this helicopter that crashed and there were no survivors.

Initial reports were five people were believed to be on board. The sheriff confirming that according to the flight manifest they have reason to believe nine people were on board. We know Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, are two of those nine passengers.

We are also getting word of another passenger who was on board, the Orange Coast college baseball coach, John Altobelli, died in this helicopter crash. And this is coming from the assistant coach, Ron Larufa, who told the Orange County Register newspaper.

So now we have the identities of three people including legendary basketball star Kobe Bryant and his daughter. Let me bring back Brian Stelter. This news just continues to become more devastating. Still no word obviously on the cause of this helicopter crash, but the news sending shockwaves all around the world tonight.

STELTER: Yes. And at an Orange Coast college, for example, players are gathering, remembering their beloved coach as you just mentioned, John Altobelli, now another name that we know has perished.

This appears to be a situation where Kobe Bryant with a helicopter that he owns, was heading to a basketball tournament, bringing some of his friends and family members along with him. So we know he was bringing his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. Gigi for short. We know she was going to be playing.

CABRERA: Who also was basketball player.

STELTER: You know, she was an emerging basketball star, had college hoops dreams. We know she was on the way to play. Kobe might have been coaching this game later in the day in Calabasas.

Apparently, John Altobelli was with them and it appears to be a situation where there were a number of parents, a number of children heading to this basketball tournament, but we don't have all the identities of who was on board.

We also don't know how many pilots or other staffers might have been on this helicopter. There are sometimes two pilots on this type of helicopter so there's a lot we don't know, including why it went down in this hilly terrain near Calabasas. But just, you know, thinking about now we know of two families, at

least, that are impacted by this tragedy. And for Kobe Bryant's family, for his wife, Vanessa, for the three surviving daughters, they've lost both their father and their sister -- and their daughter today.

CABRERA: It's hard to even imagine, again, like you said, he is a father of four and now they've lost their father and a sister or a daughter because his wife obviously dealing with this tragedy. And they also have a newborn at home.

STELTER: Yes --

CABRERA: Oldest child, daughter, 16, and now a newborn as well. I mean, the other thing that really struck me was that it sounds like this is a remote area where this chopper went down and so they're having even trouble accessing it.

They talked about firefighters having to hike in once they initially got the phone call. But the FAA is on scene so they are starting that investigation into how this tragedy could happen. I want to get to the phone right now because Metta World Peace is joining us. He's a former teammate of Kobe Bryant. They won the NBA finals together in 2010. First, how are you doing?

METTA WORLD PEACE, FORMER TEAMMATE OF KOBE BRYANT (via telephone): Yes. This had been -- everyone has been supportive. I mean, you have to be supportive for Vanessa and (inaudible), his dad, his mom. You know, I'm grateful that I had people to reach out to check on them. That I think was good.

CABRERA: Now, you know, we've talked a lot about his legacy and as somebody who played alongside him at such a high level, what do you see as Kobe Bryant's legacy, not just for the Lakers but really with the game of basketball?

WORLD PEACE: Yes. Obviously, basketball and then his books were amazing. I remember when he first started to put his books into (inaudible) editing, so I like, selling books (inaudible) proofread. Thank goodness that he inspired so many people to be better, I mean, just an athlete. You know, people like Lebron is taking it to the next level.

He's very important. (Inaudible). I just think it's so educational. He's been a legacy and always teaching people how to be, you know, just an athlete. He could be great. He has done it with his Oscar. He has done it with sports, you know. And his family is amazing. You know, he had ups and downs and his family stuck together, four beautiful children, his wife.

[17:45:02]

CABRERA: Right. Let me read you what Magic Johnson is saying as he's reacting to the death of Kobe Bryant. He writes, in part, "He was such an icon but also did so much for L.A. He was passionate about serving the homeless and was an advocate for women's basketball. Coaching his daughter's basketball team brought him so much happiness.

Kobe and I shared so many special conversations about life and basketball. We had so much in common off the court. I used to love to talk to him about Lakers basketball, being fathers and husbands and how much we loved Italy. I will miss those conversations and him so much." Metta World Peace, is that how you feel?

WORLD PEACE: I mean, I think for me it's different. You know, I remember being in the room and probably one of my favorite memories is when Kobe said hey, Met, put on a beat.

He called me Met like short for Metta. Put on a beat. I'm coming -- and coming upstairs. I got a bunch of rhymes, and he would come up and like three pages full of rhymes and start rapping for like 20 minutes and then he would want me to rap and I would do something but I'm like, he's a way better writer than me so I would be kind of intimidated.

And that was one of my favorite memories because it was like such an intimate moment because when we was in the room together, you know, there was so much war, basketball wars over the years and now he's one of my, you know, me being somebody who needed to express himself through music and just sharing that moment, it's one of my favorite moments I had with Kobe.

We didn't spend a lot of time together because we're both competitive. It was practice, game and nothing else was important, you know, so. You know, towards the end of his career became more vulnerable and I finally had a chance to have a drink with him on two occasions which is cool.

And, you know, he was teaching me also about business, things that I didn't really know. He would talk to me and tell me to keep pushing it and, you know, just gave me so much confidence, you know.

CABRERA: Yes. I can understand why this is probably difficult to talk about right now for you and we appreciate you sharing that real intimate memory that was off the court. When it comes to your thoughts about him on the court, we mentioned that you two were both on that championship team back in 2010 with the L.A. Lakers. What kind of teammate was he?

WORLD PEACE: You know, Kobe was very competitive. He really wanted to win and sometimes, you know, to his credit, you know, you never know if you have 12 other players or 10 other players that want to win. So, he took a lot into his own hands and you just had to figure out a way to, you know, take it in your own hands as a competitor also.

So, you know, we clashed at times, but it's -- we clashed at times but, you know, it is, you know, so competitive. We clashed but we got each other, you know. We really did get each other. And it's just, you know, my favorite moment of him on the court was when he had 25 straight points against the Boston Celtics.

We lost that game, game five, but, you know, I remember watching him and telling myself, snap out of it, Ron. Stop being so in awe. You got a game to play. I really just watching him and like, why is this guy is very unreal, you know, during the championship. Yes.

CABRERA: I can't imagine what his family is going through. Did you happen to know Gianna? Did you ever meet her?

WORLD PEACE: You said what?

CABRERA: Did you know his daughter, Gianna at all? Did you ever meet her?

WORLD PEACE: Yes, I mean, not on -- I never like had sat down, had lunch with the family, but over the years, you know, you see Vanessa in the tunnel. You see the babies in the tunnel, you know. Of course, we've seen her, obviously.

But like for me, when I played basketball, I was like game and that's it. I wasn't really thinking about other things. I would see the babies, but I didn't have a tight relationship with the babies. But my daughters and my sons, they knew the babies, you know. They had a real relationship with the babies more than me. You know, my daughter plays a little bit. It's sad and, you know. Yes, It's just --

CABRERA: Okay.

WORLD PEACE: I'm just loss for words sad to say.

[17:49:57]

CABRERA: I understand. Metta World Peace, thank you for taking the time and sharing your memories with us and your thoughts about this news that Kobe Bryant has passed away along with his daughter, 13- year-old Gianna. Again, we appreciate your time today.

Other NBA players are also paying tribute to Kobe Bryant. Lonzo Ball who plays for the New Orleans Pelicans is playing tonight. Ball played for the L.A. Lakers in 2017, a year after Bryant retired. He wore these shoes to honor Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, written in gold sharpee there on his shoes. If you look closely, RIP Kobe and RIP Gianna.

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CABRERA: Our breaking news, Kobe Bryant, just 41 years old, is dead tonight. He died in a helicopter crash today, along with his 13-year- old daughter, Gianna, and perhaps up to seven other people also crashed. Kobe Bryant's fans of course are mourning tonight. CNN's Paul Vercammen is outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Paul, what are you hearing from people there?

VERCAMMEN: Well, Ana, they are chanting everything from Kobe, Kobe to Gigi, Gigi his daughter. You can see that they have put up all around Staples Center in simple black and white in loving memory of Kobe Bryant. And fans are reflecting. I'll bring in Allan. He says he was a Kobe Bryant fan before he was born, and right now with us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just morning. We got to remember he's a family man first. We got to say condolences to his wife and kids, truly tough for them. And then as a basketball community, the city of Los Angeles is in a lot of pain, not just the city of Los Angeles but the basketball community. Rest in peace, Kobe. You're never going to be forgotten. We love you. Mamba out.

VERCAMMEN: Mamba out. That's the famous last line that Kobe Bryant when across the street he retired and scored 60 points. I'm going to bring in Michael Rodriguez, another Kobe Bryant fan here at Staples Center today -- outside Staples Center. What's going through your mind right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, it's just shock waves, man. We're just brokenhearted, man. Brokenhearted. Grew up here in L.A. and, you know, I'm born in '76. Kobe is my age, you know, and see somebody so successful die in such a tragic way.

Condolences to him, his family, the other family that was involved, flight instructor. Rest in peace, Kobe. We love you out here in L.A., man. Definitely iconic. You set an example for, you know, the players nowadays and for the future, you know. One player, one team.

[17:55:00]

Got to love him, man. We love you, Kobe. Rest in peace, man.

VERCAMMEN: It would be no understatement to say that these people's hearts had been completely ripped out. I mean, they are sort of next level sad about all of this, but they've been cheering and talking to each other about their favorite moments.

One thing I think that people might forget about Kobe Bryant, is not only did he achieve all these things, but just how tough he was. He famously had torn his Achilles and then still went to the free-throw line and shot his free-throws. And a lot of people here say that they remember Kobe Bryant for that grit.

As you can tell, this crowd has become predominantly Laker or Kobe Bryant crowd on what would otherwise be Grammy night across the street. I'll show you where Staple Center is. They're going to be gathering inside to celebrate the heroes of music.

But right now, this particular spot in Los Angeles has turned to celebrate their hero who is Kobe Bryant, a legend in so many ways, not only on the basketball court but off it. As you can tell, everybody wants to give their shout-out to Kobe, also an Oscar winner. Back to you now, Ana.

CABRERA: And Paul, we have about 30 seconds here. We can see there are so many there people behind you. Are they just coming out wanting to have support among each other as they grieve this loss and try to even process the shock?

VERCAMMEN: That's exactly right, Ana. And you can hear -- they're just also coming to cheer with each other. They continually break into either Kobe Bryant or MVP, and as I said, also in a touching moment, Gigi, his daughter. And so yes, they very much want to share this moment with others. CABRERA: Okay. Paul Vercammen there outside in Los Angeles Staples

Center, thank you for that. And we are just getting word from Michael Jordan reacting to this news. Let me read part of it. "I am in shock over the tragic news of Kobe's and Gianna's passing. Words can't describe the pain I'm feeling. I loved Kobe. He was like a little brother to me."

The world is mourning tonight. Thank you for being with me. I'm Ana Cabrera. Our breaking news coverage of the death of Kobe Bryant continues with the special edition of the "Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer right after a quick break.

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[17:59:59]