（中央社洛杉磯26日綜合外電報導）美國職籃NBA退役球星布萊恩（Kobe Bryant）今天搭乘私人直升機失事身亡，享年41歲。據美媒與相關外電指出，機上9人罹難，包括布萊恩的13歲女兒及女兒球隊的隊友。
TMZ報導，布萊恩今天上午搭乘私人直升機，不幸墜毀在洛杉磯西北方約65公里的卡拉巴薩斯市（Calabasas）。
● 9人罹難 直升機有無超載待查
「紐約時報」指出，洛杉磯郡警長辦公室（Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department）證實，已知9人在這起事故罹難，當中包括布萊恩與13歲女兒吉安娜（Gianna）。警方以事故尚待法醫相驗、尚待通知罹難者家屬為由，不願證實其他罹難者身分。
洛杉磯郡消防局長奧斯比（Daryl Osby）表示，失事地點偏遠難以迅速抵達，警消人員必須先翻山跋涉。目前也暫時無法確認直升機有無超載。
美國職籃NBA已將布萊恩父女的死訊通報聯盟全部球隊與職員。
● 傳直升機墜毀前就已起火
「今日俄羅斯」報導，據傳直升機在失事前就已起火，隨即在空中打轉後墜毀；機上其他罹難者據傳還有一些吉安娜的隊友、一名隊友的家長及駕駛。
布萊恩與妻子凡妮莎（Vanessa Bryant）去年6月才剛迎接家中第4個女兒卡布莉（Capri）誕生，目前布萊恩的妻子與其他3個女兒的名字均未出現在這次失事相關名單裡。
布萊恩2016年退役之後，仍活躍在名人圈，2018年以動畫電影獲得奧斯卡獎。（譯者：陳亦偉）
2:40 PM PT — Officials say they believe 9 people were on board — 1 pilot and 8 passengers — and there were no survivors. Still unclear why the chopper crashed but an investigation is under way.
2:42 PM PT — Authorities say responders had to hike to get to the crash scene. When they finally got to the incident site, it was clear no one survived.
2:08 PM PT — Barack Obama says, “Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act.”
“To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents. Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.”
1:12 PM PT — Rick Fox’s attorney confirms the former Laker was NOT among those on board the helicopter, despite rumors that circulated suggesting he was.
12:49 PM PT — President Trump just tweeted about Kobe’s death … saying, “Reports are that basketball great Kobe Bryant and three others have been killed in a helicopter crash in California. That is terrible news!”
12:35 PM PT — Kobe’s daughter Gianna Maria Onore — aka GiGi — was also on board the helicopter and died in the crash … reps for Kobe tell TMZ Sports. She was 13.
We’re told they were on their way to the Mamba Academy for a basketball practice when the crash occurred. The Academy is in nearby Thousand Oaks.
Kobe Bryant died in a helicoper crash in Calabasas Sunday morning … TMZ Sports has confirmed.
Kobe was traveling with at least 3 other people in his private helicopter when it went down. A fire broke out. Emergency personnel responded, but nobody on board survived. 5 people are confirmed dead. We’re told Vanessa Bryant was not among those on board.
Eyewitnesses also tell us that they heard the helicopter’s engine sputtering before it went down. As you can see, flames and smoke covered much of the scene from the wreck. The official cause of the crash is currently under investigation.
Kobe has famously used a helicopter to travel for years — dating back to when he played for the Lakers. He was known for commuting from Newport Beach, CA to the STAPLES Center in DTLA in his Sikorsky S-76 chopper.
KB is survived by his wife Vanessa. Together, they have four daughters — Gianna, Natalia and Bianca and their newborn Capri. Kobe and Vanessa got married in 2001 after meeting in 1999.
A memorial to Kobe has already sprung up outside of Staples Center, where Kobe played for years.
Kobe has recently been spotted out at NBA games with his daughter Gianna — a rising star basketball player herself. Their youngest daughter, Capri, was just born in June 2019.
Retired NBA superstar Kobe Bryant died Sunday morning in a fatal California helicopter crash that killed four others, CNBC has confirmed.
There were no survivors in the crash in Calabasas, Los Angeles, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The Sikorsky S-76 helicopter crashed into a hillside around 10:00 a.m. and caught on fire. An investigation remains ongoing. Two NBA agents close to Bryant confirmed the news to CNBC.
Bryant, 41, played for 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers and is considered one of the best basketball players of all time. He won five NBA championships, was an 18-time All-Star and is fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. He retired in 2016.
Bryant is survived by his wife Vanessa, and their four daughters, Gianna, Natalia and Bianca and Capri.
He was drafted into the NBA at 17 years old, and attended Lower Merion High School in the Philadelphia suburbs.
The news was first reported by TMZ.