Kobe Bryant’s close friends are opening up about the painful emotions they experienced after his tragic death in 2020.
In CNN’s new documentary, Kobe: The Making of a Legend, close friends sat down to recount the moment they learned of the deadly helicopter crash on Jan. 26 that claimed the lives of Kobe, his daughter Gianna Bryant and seven others.
“I went numb,” recalled Elissa Grabow, a former assistant of Kobe’s, who said she immediately called Tracy McGrady, a former NBA player and close friend of Kobe’s. “He was crying. He said, ‘I can’t talk,’ ” Grabow remembered.
McGrady, 45, said, “I cried all day, all night,” after he heard the news. “I couldn’t believe it…not Kob…not Kobe.”
“I think the world actually stood still for a moment,” said Grabow.
Sports journalist Scoop Jackson gave an emotional interview in the documentary, recalling how difficult it was to tell his kids that their hero had tragically died.
“Kobe had a very, very, very special relationship with my kids,” said Jackson. “The thing that got me, that was hardest for me, was telling them. Yeah, I’ve done some hard s— in my life but that was one of the most difficult ones.”
Sheryl Swoopes, a former WNBA MVP, said she “immediately thought of Vanessa” once she heard the news. “Because as a parent, and as a wife, but as a parent, you never think you’re going to lose your child.”
Gary Vitti, the former head of athletics for the Los Angeles Lakers while Kobe played for the team, emotionally said, “I was never supposed to outlive Kobe Bryant, that wasn’t the plan,” in his interview for the documentary.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Vitti said he “watched him grow up” and that Kobe “watched me grow old, and then he was going to watch me go into the next life.”
“I wasn’t going to see him do that, and his daughter,” Vitti continued. “That thing about ‘time heals all wounds’ that’s not true. They don’t heal.”
The third episode of CNN’s documentary also includes footage of interviews with fans paying tribute to the NBA all-star in Downtown Los Angeles in the days after his death. “This just feels so personal,” one emotional fan said.
Kobe and Gianna were tragically killed on Jan. 26, 2020 in a helicopter crash with seven others. The group was flying from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to a basketball tournament at Kobe’s Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks.
At the time, Kobe was four years into retirement after winning five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers over a 20-year NBA career.
Kobe: The Making of a Legend premieres on CNN on Sat. Jan. 25.
Read the full article here
