NBA legend Kobe Bryant dies in copter crash

LOS ANGELES: NBA legend Kobe Bryant died Sunday in a helicopter crash in suburban Los Angeles, celebrity website TMZ reported, in an accident confirmed by police that saw five people killed.Los Angeles County Sheriff´s officials said there were no survivors from the morning crash on a hillside in Calabasas, west of Los Angeles.

The helicopter was described as a Sikorsky S-76, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.TMZ was the first US outlet to report that Bryant was among the fatalities. The NBA icon´s death was later confirmed by ESPN and Variety citing unidentified sources.

The crash came only hours after the 41-year-old former Los Angeles Lakers star was passed by current Lakers star LeBron James for third on the all-time NBA scoring list in a Saturday game at Philadelphia.

Bryant was a five-time NBA champion in a career that began in 1996 and lasted until his retirement in 2016.He also was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, helping spark the US squad of NBA stars to titles in 2008 at Beijing and 2012 at London.