Basketball world remembers Kobe Bryant 5 years after his tragic passing

NBA legend Kobe Bryant passed away on January 26, 2020 at the age of 41, in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, where other nine people also lost their lives, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Five years have now passed, and many around the NBA world have mourned his death. 

One of the first to issue a statement following the anniversary of the player’s passing, was NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “Kobe Bryant continues to serve as an inspiration to aspiring and current NBA and WNBA players, young athletes playing at all levels and those who are motivated solely by his relentless pursuit of excellence.

“Our thoughts today are with Vanessa and the Bryant family as we remember Kobe and their daughter, Gianna, with whom he shared a special bond around a profound love of the game of basketball,” Silver expressed.

January 26th marks the heartbreaking loss of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, a day that forever impacts the world. 🙏

Mamba & Mambacita forever ♾️💜💛 pic.twitter.com/hopnjLtvjH

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) January 26, 2025

The Hall of Famer entered the NBA straight out of high school almost three decades ago, and went on to become one of the greatest athletes to ever grace the basketball court. Not only did he conquer five championships and one league MVP award, but also the league later announced that the All-Star Game MVP accolade would be renamed in his honor.

Bryant is also the only basketball star in NBA history to ever have two different jerseys retired by the same franchise, as the purple and gold club has raised both No. 24 and No. 8 to the rafters.

Just days after commissioner Silver talked about Kobe being a huge inspiration to this day, he talked about the NBA’s ambitions to continue to expand to European territory. “While Europe continues to develop some of the very best players in the world — many of our most recent MVPs, of course, are European — we think that the commercial opportunity has not kept pace with the growth of the game,” he said.

Before the Spurs vs. Pacers two-game matchups at Paris’ Accor Arena, the executive shared his views. “And what we do at the NBA is we run leagues. We, of course, run the WNBA, we have the [Basketball Africa League], we have the G League, we have a 2K video league,” Silver recounted.