Kobe Bryant’s Fellow Olympian Michael Phelps Sends Love to His Family After Tragic Helicopter Crash

Following his death in a helicopter crash last weekend, Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps paid tribute to Kobe Bryant in an emotional Instagram post. Both Phelps and Bryant were Olympic gold medalists, with Phelps notably having won a total of 28 medals while Bryant, who retired from the NBA in 2016 following a career that spanned two decades, won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. national team during the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.

“My heart hurts to hear the news,” Phelps wrote. “r.i.p. [Kobe Bryant] and gianna…thoughts and prayers to Vanessa and family….”

The emotional message, one of thousands shared by celebrities and fans across the world, immediately drew reactions from Phelps’ 3.4 million Instagram followers, many taking a moment to pay tribute to the late NBA legend as well.

“So heart wrenching,” wrote one person. “rip Kobe and Gianna Prayers to their family and to all the other families affected by this tragedy.”

“2 Legends! And Legends never die,” added another.

“Massive loss to the World of sport,” commented a third. “[RIP Kobe].”

“So sad,” wrote another. “Beautiful memories that you have with him. Two of the greats.”

Phelps’ tribute carried its way off of social media, too, with the Olympian honoring the late NBA legend and Gianna at the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open. According to ESPN writer Josh Weinfuss, Phelps wrote “8” and “24” on his heels, the two numbers under which Bryant played throughout his NBA career, as well as “Mamba,” Bryant’s nickname, and “Mambacita,” 13-year-old Gianna Bryant’s nickname. Gianna also died in the crash.

Both retired in 2016, Phelps and Bryant had formed a close relationship, despite Bryant’s time on the court and Phelps’ career in the water. According to CNBC, one of the first times the Olympians met was when Bryant watched Phelps compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, after which he said the swimmer was “unbelievable, one of the most phenomenal athletes I’d ever seen.”

Following their respective retirements, Phelps he admitted Bryant and looked to him for advice on building a brand post-retirement. In 2017, the two presented the female athlete of the year award at the 2017 USA Swimming’s Golden Goggles Awards.

On their way to a basketball game at Mamba Sports Academy, Bryant, Gianna, her teammates Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester, Keri Altobelli and his wife Keri, Payton’s mother Sarah Chester, Christina Mauser, and pilot Ara Zobayan were killed when the helicopter they were aboard encountered dense fog crashed into a Calabasas, California hillside. While the crash has been ruled accidental, an investigation into the cause is ongoing.