5/7/2023 0 Comments Kobe staring at the sun![]() ![]() The driver got out, wearing a dress shirt with dark pants and dark jacket, she said. Someone in the parking lot, working for a local television station, had passed that rumor to Howland Forrest. It was 45 minutes before TMZ first broke the news to the world. The note said that Kobe Bryant was on the helicopter. He is married with four children - three boys and a girl, ages 15-20. He is legally blind in one eye and does not drive. Pastor Bob is 51, with red hair and a red goatee flecked with gray. The budget is tight, but Pastor Bob hopes to upgrade the lights by Easter. They filed into the small sanctuary, with rows of padded chairs under a low ceiling lined with fluorescent lights. About 75 worshippers came Sunday, chattering about the commotion outside. Sunday services at the Presbyterian-affiliated Church in the Canyon, begin at 10:45. Emergency medical workers scampered up the hills, on trails usually used by dog walkers and mountain bikers, with all the best intentions. They pulled into a driveway at the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, a smattering of buildings at the base of the hills, directly across from the church.įire engines of various shapes and types came next. Within minutes, patrol cars zoomed past, toward Malibu Canyon, then spun around. Pale smoke rose into the low, gray clouds.ĭaehlin called 911. Witnesses described something like flares, at least for a while. No one in the growing crowd knew what to make of what they saw. Neighbors ambled there immediately, mingling with the churchgoers. The best view was from the church marquee along the street. By topographical luck, the church had the only real vantage point of the wreckage. “It’s our job to manage our emotions and honor Kobe, Gianna and the other victims the right way.”Īcross the street from Staples Center, large crowds continued to gather for informal public mourning at a plaza loaded with flowers, balloons and handwritten messages, many on the pavement, honoring Bryant and his daughter.Not this time. “We know it’s going to be a heavy-hearted night,” Vogel said. Several fans donned the gold T-shirts at their seats others took pictures of the video board and the electronic ribbon scrolling the victims’ names around the upper level. The music began playing once the public flowed through the doors. We didn’t even know the guy, but we feel like we did.” “It feels like you’re here for something a lot bigger than that. “It doesn’t really feel like you’re here for a game,” the 26-year-old middle school teacher from Whittier said. 24 T-shirt in his hand and rested his chin on it, staring into space. ![]() None of the players spoke before the game.īack in the arena, Jeff Nadal was among the early arriving fans. “We’re following his lead.”ĭwight Howard sat at his locker with earbuds in. “He’s been really a tower of strength for all of us,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said of James. It was Bryant’s locker when he helped the team win five NBA championships during his 20 years in Los Angeles. 24 gold jersey hung on a wooden hanger from a fire alarm next to James’ locker. Inside the Lakers locker room, Bryant’s No. Grief counseling was offered to arena staff and one female usher pulled tissues out of her pocket that had been provided. Somber ushers took up their positions with black ribbons attached to their purple work shirts. Media talked quietly among themselves without the usual music playing. The electric atmosphere that surges through the arena before NBA games was nowhere to be felt. In the couple of hours leading up to the game there was mostly silence. “I look at this as a celebration tonight,” he said. James noted there will be a memorial at some point for Bryant. “The best thing you can do is lean on the shoulders of your family.” As I look around this arena, we’re all breathing, hurt and heartbroken,” James said. “The first thing comes to mind is all about family. “Laker Nation, I would be selling you short if I read off this, so I’m going to go straight from the heart,” he said. He told the crowd he had remarks prepared and pulled a piece of paper from his sweatpants. James stood at center court and read the names of the nine crash victims, ending with Bryant. His had a black-and-white Mamba jersey and hers a No. Spotlights shone on the empty seats set aside for Bryant and his daughter. The crowd stood for 24.2 seconds of silence as the shot clocks ticked off the time until the horn blared. Fans interrupted the silence with chants of “Kobe! Kobe!” and “MVP! MVP!”īoyz II Men, from Bryant’s hometown of Philadelphia, sang the national anthem. ![]()
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