'The View' Co-Host Whoopi Goldberg Praises Kobe Bryant, Who Was 'Always Kind' to Her Family

Los Angeles Lakers alum and NBA legend Kobe Bryant was remembered by The View co-host Whoopi [...]

By Allison Schonter

Los Angeles Lakers alum and NBA legend Kobe Bryant was remembered by The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg following his Sunday death in a helicopter crash. Taking to Twitter shortly after news broke that Bryant and eight others had died when the aircraft crashed into the hills in Calabasas, California, Goldberg remembered the former Lakers player as an "incredible athlete" who was "always kind."

Goldberg was not the only of The View ladies to join fans across the world mourning Bryant's loss. Reacting to the news, Meghan McCain wrote that it was "gut-wrenching" and "tragic," writing that she was "sending strength and love to his family and loved ones."

Abby Huntsman, who recently announced that she would be leaving the ABC talk show, also took to social media to react to the news, sharing that she felt "sick reading this news. More than anything else, he was a dad to four beautiful kids. My heart breaks for his family. Life is so precious."

Meanwhile, Ana Navarro, who co-hosts on Fridays, shared a video from Bryant's 2018 appearance on the talk show, during which he surprised a 6-year-old fan suffering from epilepsy.

The ladies of The View again mourned the passing of Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and the seven other crash victims on Monday's episode of the talk show, which opened with the co-hosts reacting to the news.

"A lot of people are still trying to process the loss of NBA superstar Kobe Bryant," Goldberg began. "…When people say you have to live each day to the fullest, this is what they mean."

"He was only 41 years old," Joy Behar, who learned of the news by checking her phone, said. "It's just a terrible thing. What can you say about it? He was a nice guy. A real sweetheart."

Sunny Hostin revealed that the tragedy had hit her family especially hard, as her 13-year-old daughter knew Bryant's daughter Gianna through basketball.

"We were stunned," she said. "What I loved about Kobe, he was such a proponent for girls in sports, and women in sports. It's a lot to have a former NBA player saying, 'Girls can do it too.'"

At the time of the crash, Bryant, the pilot, and the seven other passengers, three of whom were children, had been traveling to basketball practice at the Mamba Academy. The chopper was flying in dense fog, which is currently being investigated as a possible cause of the crash.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of