SO LONG, BLACK MAMBA
HE REGULARLY travelled by helicopter to avoid the terrible Los Angeles traffic. Sitting in the often-gridlocked roads took too much of a toll on his body and he avoided it whenever he could.
Basketball icon Kobe Bryant is unlikely to have thought of getting into his private helicopter on 26 January as anything special. But in the end that trip took the ultimate toll when it crashed, killing all nine on board, including Kobe and one of his daughters, Gianna (13).
Kobe (41) had been one of the fiercest, most relentlessly competitive athletes in the world. The powerhouse former basketball player was an NBA All-Star, an Olympian, a
