Kobe Bryant and Daughter Gianna Laid to Rest in Private Funeral | 22 Words

The world is still coming to terms with the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant following the devasting helicopter crash last month that claimed the lives of 8 others, including his thirteen-year-old daughter Gianna.

And now, 2 weeks after their tragic deaths, Kobe and Gianna Bryant have been laid to rest.

Keep scrolling for the full story.

 

For those of you that aren't aware, Kobe Bryant is a legend.

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 After he left high school, he entered the NBA directly and went onto win 5 championships.

He was one of the world's best shooting guards.

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 Kobe Bryant made history on many occasions. His twenty-year career in the NBA saw him become the all-time leading scorer in Lakers history in 2010. At thirty-four years old, he also became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. What an achievement.

However, in 2016, he retired.

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 After a string of injuries began taking their toll on his body, he decided it would be best to leave the game, though that didn't stop him from coaching and doing extra work on the side in order to aid the NBA.

He made sure he went out with a bang.

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 Who could ever forget that final game? The Lakers versus Utah Jazz. The latter team didn't stand a chance after seeing Kobe score sixty points in the game, which became a career highlight for the basketballer.

Last month, the world's heart was broken.

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 Kobe Bryant was tragically killed in a helicopter crash on Jan 26. The NBA star's private helicopter crashed in Calabasas at around 9:45 am local time, TMZ sports confirms.

Kobe was known for opting to use a helicopter for travel...

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 But tragically, his private helicopter went down and a "fire broke out," TMZ reports.

During a press conference, it was confirmed there were no survivors.

And there were 9 bodies found at the scene.

However, Bryant's daughter, Gianna, was also on board the helicopter at the time of the crash.

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 TMZ Sports reports that Gianna, aged thirteen, tragically died in the crash. It is thought that the father and daughter were on their way to the Mamba Academy for basketball practice, nearby Thousand Oaks.

This is utterly devastating news.

Kobe leaves behind his wife and their daughters - Natalia and Bianka, and their newborn, Capri.

Heartbreaking footage quickly emerged showing the aftermath of the tragedy.

The clip, uploaded to Twitter, showed smoke emerging from the crash site as emergency services respond to the devastating incident.

The tragedy claimed the lives of 7 others...

via: Twitter

 All 9 of the passengers on board were confirmed to have died in the tragic crash.

The news has been hard for people to stomach.

Kobe really touched the hearts of so many people, so tributes for the star have been pouring in.

Barack Obama reiterated that Kobe was a "legend."

The two had a strong friendship as Kobe was an active Obama supporter and they both shared similar views on social issues.

In a slightly less empathetic way, Donald Trump also tweeted this:

Melania also sent her condolences.

And Whoopi Goldberg also emphasized how much of a hero he was.

She wrote: "RIP Kobe, hero to many including my grandson, extraordinary athlete and always kind to me & my family. My deepest condolences to his family."

Kevin Hart was shocked by the news...

He said he only "just [seen] him." It really just proves how short life is.

But his pain got worse as he found out that Kobe's daughter was involved too...

The news was beyond heartbreaking.

And supermodel Gigi Hadid talked about her close relationship with the legend.

She also posted 2 photos to Instagram upon hearing the news about his daughter too.

Viola Davis was also amongst those who paid tribute to Kobe.

Kobe's family has just been hit with the worst news they could possibly have. No goodbyes. No final words. Devastating.

Amber Rose sent all of her love to Kobe's wife Vanessa Bryant.

As a mother and a wife, this is the most painful news to have received.

And a host of other sports personalities sent their condolences to the family.

Megan Rapinoe, a professional soccer player for the United States team tweeted about him.

And Usain Bolt too.

He attached a photograph of him and Kobe right before one of his races.

One of the most painful outcomes of this tragic accident is reflected in Kobe Bryant's last Instagram post.

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 He and LeBron James were two legends in the sport. And they helped build each other, celebrate their successes and support one another through difficult times.

And just twenty-four hours before the incident, Kobe had congratulated LeBron.

LeBron James recently passed Kobe Bryant's career point marker and as a way to congratulate him, he dedicated a heartwarming post to the star player.

So no wonder the news hit him extremely hard.

A video of the basketballer breaking down in tears surfaced and broke everyone's hearts. It is a devastating sight to see.

He penned a heartbreaking tribute to Kobe.

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 He took to Instagram to pay tribute to the basketball legend, whom he describes as his "brother." "I’m Not Ready but here I go. Man I sitting here trying to write something for this post but every time I try I begin crying again just thinking about you, niece Gigi and the friendship/bond/brotherhood we had," he began the post. 

"I literally just heard your voice Sunday morning."

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 "Didn’t think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we’d have. WTF!! I’m heartbroken and devastated my brother!! "Man I love you big bro," he continued.

He truly poured his heart out.

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 "My heart goes to Vanessa and the kids. I promise you I’ll continue your legacy man! You mean so much to us all here especially #LakerNation and it’s my responsibility to put this shit on my back and keep it going!" "Please give me the strength from the heavens above and watch over me! I got US here!"

He then finished his touching tribute with a final message...

"There’s so much more I want to say but just can’t right now because I can’t get through it! Until we meet again my brother!!" There's no denying how devastated LeBron is by this tragic news.

Kobe's wife, Vanessa, recently opened up about her tragic loss.

She penned a heart-wrenching Instagram post on Monday.

Vanessa admitted how difficult coming to terms with her loss is.

"My brain refuses to accept that both Kobe and Gigi are gone.  I can’t process both at the same time. It’s like I’m trying to process Kobe being gone but my body refuses to accept my Gigi will never come back to me," she wrote.

"It feels wrong."

"Why should I be able to wake up another day when my baby girl isn’t being able to have that opportunity?! I’m so mad. She had so much life to live." "Then I realize I need to be strong and be here for my 3 daughters. Mad I’m not with Kobe and Gigi but thankful I’m here with Natalia, Bianka and Capri."

She continued:

"I know what I’m feeling is normal. It’s part of the grieving process. I just wanted to share in case there’s anyone out there that’s experienced a loss like this."

"God I wish they were here and this nightmare would be over."

"Praying for all of the victims of this horrible tragedy. Please continue to pray for all."

Now, 2 weeks after their tragic deaths, Kobe and Gianna Bryant have been laid to rest.

Their private funeral was held on February 7th at the Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona Del Mar, California.

The ceremony was reportedly "extremely hard for everyone."

"Vanessa and the family wanted a private service to mourn their loss," a source told ET. "The ceremony was extremely hard for everyone as it's still hard for them to grasp they lost two beautiful souls."

As well as the private funeral, Vanessa revealed the finalized plans for a public memorial service for Kobe and Gianna.

The service will be held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles where the star played basketball for the Lakers throughout his entire 2-decade career.

The ceremony will take place on 2/24/20 - a special date for the family.

They chose the 24th as it was the number Kobe sported since the 2006-07 season. But that's not the only significance.

'2' is the number Gianna played in basketball.

And 20 is the number of years Kobe and Vanessa were together for as well as the number of years he played as a Laker.

What a devastating loss for the world.

Rest in peace to Kobe and Gianna Bryant as well as the rest of the victims involved in the crash.