It’s no secret that everybody knew who Kobe Bryant was. You didn’t even have to watch basketball to be familiar with his name.

Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Lakers legend and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, were among nine who were killed in a helicopter crash about 30 miles outside of central Los Angeles, California.

When I received the news via text on Sunday, I had to read it twice to make sure I was reading it correctly.

The text simply read “Kobe Bryant is dead.” I was speechless. I responded with question marks because I couldn’t process that thought clearly in my head.

They responded “He really is,” I then scrolled back up to the text so that I could read it again and try to wrap my mind around the news that I had just gotten.

As I was reading it, a news notification popped up on my phone that read “Lakers Legend Kobe Bryant Among Nine Killed in Crash outside of Los Angeles.”

As I was scrolling through social media an hour or so after receiving the text, I read a headline that stated “Kobe Bryant, 13-year-old daughter die alongside each other in LA helicopter crash.”

No family should ever have to bury the body of a loved one, but to have to bury two bodies, a husband, friend, father and role model to many and a daughter, is truly unimaginable.

My deepest condolences are extended to not only the family and friends of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, but also the countless number of teammates that shared the court with Kobe during his NBA career.

Kobe Bryant was just 41-years-old, while his daughter, Gianna departed way too early at the age of 13.

Rest easy, you’ll never be forgotten. Picture: Yahoo.