Thursday, March 28, 2024

Barack Obama Honors Kobe Bryant and Daughter Gianna in Speech at NBA All-Star Brunch

Gianna and Kobe Bryant
Gianna and Kobe Bryant

*Former president Barack Obama reflected on the deaths of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna during a speech at the NBA All-Star Weekend Newsmaker Brunch in Chicago on Saturday.

“That loss is something that I know many are still grappling with,” Obama told attendees, Deadline reports, adding, “particularly Kobe because he was with his daughter and those families, and those children.”

Kobe and Gianna were killed when the helicopter they were riding in slammed into a hillside in Calabasas, California on the morning on Jan. 26. The crash also claimed the lives of pilot Ara Zobayan; Orange Coast College head baseball coach John Altobelli; his wife Keri Altobelli; their 14-year-old daughter Alyssa Altobelli; Christina Mauser, a basketball coach at Harbor Day School in Newport Beach; 13-year-old Payton Chester, a basketball teammate of Gianna’s; and her mother, Sarah Chester, per Deadline.

The helicopter was transporting the group to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks for a girls’ basketball game. Bryant and Mauser coached Gianna’s team.

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During his speech, Obama called that the deaths of the young girls “heartbreaking.”

“Those of us who have had the joy and privilege of being parents and taking kids to ballgames, and then rooting for our children, and seeing our dreams and hopes passed on to them. Nothing is more heartbreaking,” he said.

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer shared a clip of Obama’s speech, and he added the caption “It was a moving and emotional moment at the @nba All-Star Weekend Newsmaker Brunch when former President @barackobama spoke about Kobe Bryant.”

Peep the clip via the Instagram video embed above.

 

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Nine people died in the helicopter crash that killed basketball legend Kobe Bryant on Sunday. The group was flying to a basketball game in Thousand Oaks, California, where Bryant’s daughter Gianna was expected to play and he was expected to coach. While police have not released the names of the people on board, family members and associates of some victims have confirmed the deaths. The victims include:⁣ ⁣ – Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. ⁣ ⁣ – Orange Coast College baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri, and daughter, Alyssa. Gianna and Alyssa were teammates, an OCC assistant coach told CNN.⁣ ⁣ – Christina Mauser, an assistant girls basketball coach at a private school in Orange County.⁣ ⁣ – Sarah Chester and her daughter, Payton.⁣ ⁣ – Ara Zobayan, the helicopter’s pilot. ⁣ (?: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images, Altobelli Family, Matt Mauser, Family Photo and Facebook)

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A public memorial for the victims is scheduled to take place at the Staples Center on Feb. 24.

Fans can register to purchase tickets via a ticketmaster verified fan site. Proceeds will go to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, which aims to continue Kobe and Gianna’s legacy in youth sports.

 

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