Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi
Photo: PAUL BERESWILL/GETTY NBA basketball legend Kobe Bryant reportedly attended Mass just hours before his death in a tragic accident on Sunday, January 26.
Mr Bryant, a devout Catholic, was killed along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
He was on his way to the Mamba Sports Academy to coach ‘Gigi’ – the second of his four daughters – in a basketball tournament following 7am Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady Queen of the Angels in Newport Beach.
The 41-year-old retired from playing in April 2016 after a 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won five national championships and was an 18-time All-Star.
The youngest of three children, Mr Bryant was raised by Catholic parents in Philadelphia and Rieti, Italy. He later married Vanessa Urbieta Cornejo Laine, who is of Irish ancestry, at St Edward Roman Catholic Church in California in 2001.
The couple separated and Vanessa filed for divorce in 2011 after he admitted to his infidelity; however they reconciled following the advice of a Catholic priest.
Challenging
In a 2015 interview, Mr Bryant attributed his Faith with helping him to overcome a challenging period in his life.
He said: “The one thing that really helped me – I’m Catholic, I grew up Catholic, my kids are Catholic – was talking to a priest.”
Archbishop Jose Horacio Gomez of Los Angeles described Mr Bryant as “a very good Catholic, a faithful Catholic”.
Bishop Timothy Freyer of the Orange diocese called him “a committed Catholic who loved his family and loved his Faith”.
Catholic singer Cristina Ballestero posted an Instagram story of meeting him at a Mass in Holy Family Cathedral.
“His most inspiring trait was his decision to turn to his Faith in God and receive God’s mercy and to be a better man,” she said of Mr Bryant.