NOW..
NOW.. MOURNERS GATHERED OUTSIDE
THE STAPLES
CENTER-- AFTER A
CHOPPER CRASH
KILLED BASKETBALL
LEGEND KOBE
BRYANT.. HIS YOUNG
DAUGHTER.. AND
SEVEN OTHERS..
JAY GRAY IS IN LOS
ANGELES WITH A
CLOSER LOOK AT HOW
MILLIONS ARE COPING
WITH THE LOSS.
A
A DAY
A DAY LATER.. THE EMOTIONS ARE STILL RAW...
"KOBE
RAW... "KOBE KOBE'S BEEN THERE
FOR US FOR 20 YEARS
AND PLUS.."
THE CROWDS.. AND
MEMORIAL OUTSIDE
OF STAPLES CENTER
GROWING..
"IT'S LIKE, WE HAVE
LOST A FAMILY
MEMBER"
A "FAMILY" GATHERING
STRENGTH .. THEY
SAY.. BY BEING
TOGETHER..
"BECAUSE THEY FEEL
WHAT I FEEL. I'M NOT
THE ONLY ONE
.."
A MUCH DIFFERENT
CROWD -- OF CRASH
SCENE
INVESTIGATORS--
SCENE INVESTIGATORS-- GATHERING IN THE
RUGGED HILLSIDE,
30-MILES WEST OF
THE ARENA, WHERE
THE CHOPPER WENT
DOWN..
TAKING THE LIVES OF
KOBE BRYANT.. HIS 13
YEAR-OLD-DAUGHTER
GIANNA..
YEAR-OLD-DAUGHTER GIANNA.. COLLEGE BASEBALL
COACH JOHN
ALTOBELLI - HIS WIFE,
KERI, AND THEIR
DAUGHTER, ALYSSA...
13-YEAR-OLD PAYTON
CHESTER.. AND HER
MOM SARAH.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
COACH CHRISTINA
MAUSER.. AND THE
PILOT..
THE GROUP -
REPORTEDLY
TRAVELING THROUGH
HEAVY FOG.. TO A
YOUTH BASKETBALL
TOURNAMENT AT
BRYANT'S MAMBA
SPORTS ACADEMY ..
"WE DO KNOW THERE
WAS AN ISSUE OF
VISIBILITY AND A LOW
CEILING."
THE VISION, FOR
FANS.. IS AT TIMES..
BLURRED BY TEARS..
BUT THE MEMORIES..
AND THE LEGACY OF
THIS CHAMPION.. FILM
MAKER..
BUSINESSMAN..
MAKER.. BUSINESSMAN.. HUSBAND AND
FATHER..
HAS NEVER BEEN
MORE CLEAR..
"THE LOVE THIS CITY
HAS FOR KOBE AND
HIS FAMILY ARE REAL."
A LOVE, SHARED
ACROSS THE
COUNTRY.. AND
AROUND THE WORLD..
JAY GRAY - NBC NEWS
- LOS ANGELES
KRIS
KRIS YOU
KRIS YOU HAVE A SPECIAL CONNECTION TO THE LAKERS --
YOUR
YOUR FATHER WORKED FOR THEM FOR YEARS --
MY
MY FATHER
MY FATHER WORKED FOR THE LAKERS FOR 48 YEARS
AS THE OFFICIAL
SCOREKEEPER AND AS
A KID I WAS AROUND
THE "SHOWTIME"
LAKERS ALL OF THE
TIME.
MY FATHER WAS
CLOSE TO KOBE. I'D
ONLY EXPERIENCED
HIM A HANDFUL OF
TIMES BECAUSE I LEFT
LOS ANGELES AND
STARTED MY
BROADCAST CAREER
AT THE TURN OF THE
CENTURY AND BACK
WITH MY RUN INS
WITH KOBE, HE
WASN'T KOBE BRYANT
YET. JUST ANOTHER
UP AND COMER'.
ONCE THE LAKERS
MADE THE MOVE
FROM THE FORUM IN
INGLEWOOD
CALIFORNIA TO THE
STAPLES CENTER IN
DOWNTOWN KOBE
WAS BECOMING A
LEGEND IN THE
MAKING AND HE
WOULD PASS BY THE
SCORERS TABLE
BEFORE EACH HOME
GAME AND GIVE FIST
BUMPS TO MY DAD
AND THE CREW. DAD
IS ON THE RIGHT
HERE. FOR ME, SINCE
MY DAD PASSED
SHORTLY AFTER THE
LAKERS FINAL
CHAMPIONSHIP IN
2009, YESTERDAY WAS
VERY MUCH AN END
OF "MY CAMELOT."
MESSAGES FLOODED
IN FROM FAMILY AND
FRIENDS OUT WEST
AS THE NEWS CAME
IN. AND FOR MANY OF
YOU OUT THERE WHO
WATCHED THE NBA ,
AS WE'VE HAD KIDS,
AND GOTTEN
OLDER...... THIS WAS A
GUT AND REALITY
CHECK. I THOUGHT
BACK TO THE OTHER
DEVASTAING SPORTS
NEWS.
YANKEES CAPTAIN
AND CATCHER
THURMON MUNSON
WAS KILLED IN A
PLANE CRASH IN THE
PRIME OF HIS CAREER.
ROBERTO CLEMENTE
DIED IN A PLANE
CRASH AFTER
REACHING HIS 3,000TH
HIT WHILE HELPING
EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS
AND WENT INTO THE
HALL OF FAME
POSTUMOUSLY AS
KOBE WILL.
AND ANOTHER HUGE
ONE, JOHN LENNON
MURDERED RIGHT
OUTSIDE OF HIS
APARTMENT COMPLEX
AT AGE 40!
AFTER 48 YEARS OF
SERVICE THE LAKERS
AWARDED MY FAMILY
WITH A WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIP RING
IN 2009. MY DAD KNEW
IT WAS COMING AND
JOKINGLY WHEN
ASKED WHAT NAME HE
WANTED ON THE RING.
AND WITH HIS GREAT
SENSE OF HUMOR HE
ANWSWERED, I WANT
IT TO SAY "KOBE" IT
WILL BE WORTH
MORE. DAD NEVER
SAW THAT RING, HE
PASSED 6 WEEKS
BEFORE IT WAS
PRESENTED, THE
SCORERS' TABLE AT
THE STAPLES CENTER
NOW BEARS HIS NAME
AS PER HIS
AUTOGRAPH. BUT
NOW THE SAD
REALITY IS THAT KOBE
WILL NEVER SIGN
ANOTHER
AUTOGRPAH, HE'LL
NEVER WALK ONE OF
THESE BEAUTIFUL
GIRS DOWN THE
AISLE, AND DAUGHTER
GIANNA WILL NEVER
GET MARRIED AND
HAVE KIDS OF HER
OWN. IT IS THE MOST
REAL AND RAW OF
PERSPECTIVES AND
MAKES US PUT OUR
OWN MORTALITY INTO
PERSPECTIVE. AFTER
ALL IF GOD CAN CALL
KOBE BRYANT AND 8
OTHER INNOCENTS
HOME ON A DAY
WHERE THEY WERE
GOING ABOUT THEIR
BUSY ROUTINE, WE
REALISE HOW
VUNERABLE WE ALL
ARE. I TAKE SOLICE IN
THE FACT THAT KOBE
HAD GONE TO MASS
SHORTLY BEFORE HE
DIED, AND HOPEFULLY
HIS SOUL WAS READY.
HE MADE 650 MILLION
DOLLARS AS A
BASKETBALL PLAYER,
BUT "TIME" IS THE ONE
THING THAT WE HAVE
LESS OF EACH DAY NO
MATTER WHAT OUR
WEALTH. SO HUG
YOUR BABIES, MAKE
THAT NICE GESTURE
AND TRY TO BE KIND.
FOR TOMORORW IS
PROMISED TO NO
MAN, AND THAT MAY
BE THE BIGGEST
THING THAT KOBE
BRYANT HAS ENDED
UP TEACHING US!
THAT'S
THAT'S ALL OUR