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Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna among 9 killedin Calif. copter crash

Image 1. Kobe Bryant, No. 24 of the Los Angeles Lakers, in a basketball game against the Washington Wizards in 2015 in Washington, D.C.Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images

The basketball star Kobe Bryant died on January 26. Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in Los

Angeles, California. He was 41 years old. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said the

crash happened around 10 a.m. Eight other people died, including Bryant's 13-year-old daughter

Gianna.

Allen Kenitzer works for a government agency. The agency helps manage air transportation.

Kenitzer said his agency and others were investigating the helicopter crash.

Death Shocks Sports World

Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years. Bryant's death shocked Los Angeles and the

sports world.

He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bryant's father was also an NBA player. Bryant was

named "Kobe" after the city in Japan.

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff on 01.28.20Word Count 573Level 610L

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Bryant excelled in basketball at Lower Merion High in

Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Bryant decided to skip

college. He wanted to play professional basketball

instead. In 1996, he began playing for the Lakers. The

Lakers were his favorite team. Bryant was just 17

years old. His parents had to sign his contract because

he was not an adult yet.

Youngest Ever To Play NBA Game

In 1996, Bryant played his first NBA game. He was the

youngest player ever to play an NBA game.

Bryant won five NBA championships. The first three came in 2000, 2001 and 2002.

In 2003, Bryant was arrested. He had been accused of sexual assault. The charges were later

dropped. However, Bryant's reputation took a hit.

Bryant had many important achievements. In 2006, Bryant scored 81 points in one game. Only

one other NBA player in history has scored more points in one game. He was named the MVP in

the 2007-2008 season. He won a gold medal for basketball at the 2008 Olympics. Bryant was also

the youngest player to score 27,000 points during his career.

Many Injuries

Bryant's final two championship wins were in 2009

and 2010. Bryant never won another championship

after that. He had many injuries that kept him from

playing well.

Gilbert Arenas used to play for the Washington

Wizards. Arenas once said Bryant was a tough

competitor.

Bryant retired from the NBA in 2016. He started

making films. In 2018, Bryant won an Oscar. The award was for an animated short film called

"Dear Basketball."

The night before Bryant died, Laker LeBron James beat Bryant's record for all-time scoring. James

took Bryant's third-place spot. Bryant scored 33,643 points during his career. James took over

third place with 33,655 points.

Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and three other daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri.

Other families are mourning the loss of their loved ones as well. Baseball coach John Altobelli was

also on the helicopter. He was joined by his wife Keri and their basketball-playing daughter Alyssa.

Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton were also killed. Christina Mauser was a basketball coach

at Bryant's Mamba Academy. She and pilot Ara Zobayan were both killed in the crash.

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Quiz

1 Select the sentence from the article that shows HOW Kobe Bryant died.

(A) Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles, California.

(B) Bryant's death shocked Los Angeles and the sports world.

(C) He had many injuries that kept him from playing well.

(D) The night before Bryant died, Laker LeBron James beat Bryant's record for all-time scoring.

2 Read the paragraph below from the section "Youngest Ever To Play NBA Game."

Bryant had many important achievements. In 2006, Bryant scored 81 points in one game. Onlyone other NBA player in history has scored more points in one game. He was named the MVP inthe 2007-2008 season. He won a gold medal for basketball at the 2008 Olympics. Bryant wasalso the youngest player to score 27,000 points during his career.

Which question is answered by this paragraph?

(A) Where were the 2008 Olympics held?

(B) How many players have been named MVP?

(C) What successes did Kobe Bryant have in his career?

(D) Who were Kobe Bryant's favorite players in the NBA?

3 WHY did Kobe Bryant's parents sign his contract with the Lakers?

(A) because the Lakers were his favorite team

(B) because he was too young to sign it himself

(C) because the contract lasted for 20 years

(D) because he wanted to skip college

4 HOW did Kobe Bryant change when he retired from the NBA?

(A) Bryant started making films.

(B) Bryant won the scoring record.

(C) Bryant won two championships.

(D) Bryant started playing other sports.