Kobe Bryant’s shocking death forced major TV news and sports outlets to scramble on Sunday to cover the helicopter crash in Southern California that took the life of the legendary 41-year-old basketball star, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.
From the BBC to Fox News, Bryant’s death dominated coverage as soon as word surfaced via TMZ around 11:50 a.m. PT. The news broke as ESPN was in the midst of its NFL Pro Bowl telecast. The sports powerhouse broke into coverage for the somber bulletin around 12 p.m. PT but then returned to the game. ESPN 2 scrapped its regular schedule to present news about the crash and tributes to the famed Los Angeles Laker who retired after 20 seasons in the NBA in 2016.
Bryant’s young age meant that networks had little in the way of retrospective material prepared to help put his life and career in perspective.
“Kobe Bryant was a transcendent figure in this league and as popular a player as we’ve had since Michael Jordan,” said Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN’s senior NBA insider, told ESPN 2. ESPN said via Twitter that it will carry a “continuous” telecast of “SportsCenter” and “NBA Countdown” following its coverage of today’s Boston Celtics-New Orleans Penguins NBA game.
Bryant’s death came just hours before the music industry gathers in downtown Los Angeles for the annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center, the home of the Lakers. The area around the arena was full of impromptu tributes to Bryant including his image on giant LED screens around the L.A. Live. All of that virtually insures that tonight’s live telecast on CBS will include at least a moment of tribute to the Laker legend. The non televised portion of the Grammy ceremony opened with a moment of silence for Bryant.
The Denver Nuggets NBA team held a moment of silence during its regularly scheduled Sunday afternoon game against the Houston Rockets.
Bryant’s history as a player and the criticism he faced at times from colleagues for his style of play was analyzed and debated among commentators. He was accused of sexual assault in a 2003 case that has been widely highlighted as an example of a powerful figure being protected by wealth and fame. After settling the case, Bryant went on to new heights as an athlete and public figure.
On Sunday, analysts agreed that his eye-popping skills on the court stood out more than anything. Commentators noted the eerie timing of Bryant’s death, coming less than 24 hours after current Laker star LeBron James passed his predecessor on the list of the NBA’s all-time points leader.
“Kobe had a magnetic personality for someone who came right out of high school to NBA superstardom,” NBC Sports analyst Mike Tirico told MSNBC.
After his retirement, Bryant leaned in to TV, films, documentaries, books and other media in a way that kept him relevant in sports and pop culture overall. He was part of the team that won an Academy Award in 2018 for animated short film for “Dear Basketball,” based on the letter he wrote in 2015 announcing his retirement from the league. The short also won a Sports Emmy Award. And Bryant himself was sought after for endorsement deals.
(Excerpt) Read more in: Variety