Thursday marked three years since the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the lives of basketball superstar Kobe Bryant and eight others, including his daughter Gianna. 

All occupants of the helicopter died in a crash on a Calabasas, California hillside in 2020.

The group was flying to a basketball tournament at Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California on a foggy morning. 

After an investigation, it was concluded that the pilot was likely disoriented in the fog, leading to the accident. 

Bryant was 41 years old and his daughter Gianna was 13 years old. 

Twitter users are reflecting on the tragedy, three years later:

Seven other people died in the crash, including pilot Ara Zobayan, Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and daughter Alyssa, as well as Christina Mauser, who helped Bryant coach his daughter’s basketball team, along with Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton.

Bryant’s widow, Vanessa Bryant, later filed and won a wrongful death lawsuit against Los Angeles County after graphic photos of Bryant and his daughter were allegedly taken at the crash by emergency crews, and distributed to others. 
All funds from the lawsuit were donated to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, an organization created in Kobe and Gianna’s honour.