Kobe Bryant, 41, spent some quality time with his third oldest child, Bianka Bryant, 3, less than 24 hours before he was killed in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26. A new video — WHICH YOU CAN SEE HERE — reveals that Kobe and Bianka went to the Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach on Jan. 25, the evening before Kobe’s death. In the sweet footage, Kobe keeps an eye on his toddler as she watches some other kids playing in the mall. The Bryant family frequented the mall and other Newport Beach spots, so this was just a normal outing for the family, according to TMZ.
Sadly, this was the last time that Bianka would ever share a special moment like this with her father. The following morning, Kobe and his daughter, Gianna Bryant, 13, died when the private helicopter they were flying in crashed in Calabasas, California. All nine people on the copter, including the pilot, were killed in the devastating crash. The group was headed to a basketball game at Kobe’s Mamba Academy, and foggy weather conditions are expected to have been a main factor in the accident. However, officials have not yet named the official cause of the crash.
In addition to Gianna and Bianka, Kobe and his wife, Vanessa, had two other daughters, Natalia, 17, and Capri, six months. Less than a year before his death, Kobe also revealed that Vanessa wanted a baby boy, and hinted that they would eventually try for a fifth child. Sadly, they will never get the chance.
Nine people in total were killed in the helicopter crash on Jan. 26. The other victims were two of Gianna’s teammates and their parents (Alyssa Altobelli, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Sarah Chester and Payton Chester), a basketball coach (Christina Mauser) and the helicopter pilot, Ara Zobayan.