Kobe Bryant’s Death: Live Updates as the Lakers Prepare to Play the Blazers

Staples Center became an impromptu memorial.

More crowds gathered outside of Staples Center on Friday afternoon to mourn Bryant, leaving flowers and jerseys and stuffed animals. It had become the site of an impromptu memorial and an outlet for collective grief, as fans wrote heartfelt messages on photographs and posters, offering their appreciation for the moments that Bryant had created and their condolences to the families of those who had also died.

Inside the arena, replicas of Bryant’s jersey were draped over every seatback — nearly 20,000 of them in all — ahead of Friday night’s game between the Lakers and the Trail Blazers.

Additionally, the N.B.A. announced plans to honor Bryant and the other victims of Sunday’s crash at next month’s All-Star Game. The players on the team captained by the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo will wear No. 24, which Bryant wore for the second half of his career, while the players on the team captained by James will wear No. 2, which is the number that Gianna Bryant wore. Both teams will wear patches that feature nine stars, representing the nine victims of the crash.

The latest on the crash.

The Fog: Although the flight took off in clear skies in Orange County, it eventually encountered a fog so thick that it nearly blinded drivers on the freeway. Visibility was so poor that the Los Angeles Police Department had grounded its fleet of helicopters.

Because of the company’s certification limitations, the pilot was required to fly only in conditions of sufficient visibility to navigate visually.

The Crash: The helicopter fell at a rate of about 23 miles an hour and slammed into the hill in a “high-energy impact crash,” according to the National Transportation Safety Board. It was also traveling forward at about 152 miles an hour just before it crashed, according to radar data.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/31/sports/basketball/lakers-blazers-kobe.html?emc=rss&partner=rss