Kobe Bryant Helped Car Accident Victims in Video That Resurfaced Following His Helicopter Crash Death

As the world mourns the loss of Kobe Bryant, who died Sunday alongside 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other victims in a helicopter crash, video resurfaced of the NBA legend helping to direct traffic and comfort people involved in a “major accident” in Newport Beach, California.

In the video, you can see the former Los Angeles Lakers player assisting visibly upset people at the scene and waving cars around the wreckage while waiting for authorities to arrive during a Dec. 13 crash, as reported by TMZ at the time.

This wasn’t the first time Bryant had assisted in a traffic accident, with Ryan Williams, a partner at Athletes First, taking to Twitter after news of the crash to share his own story of being helped by the NBA player in September 2018.

“Kobe witnessed someone crash into me at 65mph,” he wrote. “He ran to my car. He helped. Most of all, he was kind. A week later, he saw me and my family at Starbucks. He told my wife how lucky I was to be alive.”

“From that time on, whenever we’d see him in Newport Coast, he continued to be kind,” he added. “A fist bump to my son … a high-five to my daughter … a word of wisdom to me.”

Williams ran into Bryant periodically through their professional lives, but his legacy would be that of kindness.

“I will remember him for being legendary on the court. But more than anything, I will remember him for being kind … to me, to my family, and to so many friends in our community. He was driven beyond measure and that drive didn’t stop on the court,” Williams wrote.

The newly-resurfaced video of the December 2019 accident had many people who admired the late athlete in their feelings as they reflected on the legacy he left behind following the tragic crash.

Photo credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images