'A CALL TO LOVE'
Heartbreaking moment Kobe Bryant’s youth team starts to pray when they hear of tragic helicopter death
DOZENS of kids stopped a basketball tournament at Kobe Bryant's Mamba Sports Academy to pray for the fallen NBA legend upon hearing the news of his death.
Young players and coaches took a knee in prayer mid-game to mourn the heartbreaking loss of Bryant, who named the facility after his moniker, "The Black Mamba."
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Video footage taken moments after the news broke shows adults and children solemnly bowing their heads in prayer for the 41-year-old throughout the silent gym in .
Clusters of young players huddled together to grieve over the loss of their mentor and "family" member.
"Solidarity, Sorrow and compassion filled the room. Strangers prayed, cried and hugged one another," wrote former NFL player Lawyer Milloy, who filmed the solemn scene.
"Just the way he would’ve wanted it. There were no winners and that was ok.
"A call to love, forgiveness and faith in God flow through the room."
A man who appears to be a coach delivers a short eulogy for Bryant to the grief-stricken families and called for unity during a devastating time.
"Honor him with who you are, as people and as players," he says.
"We have to make sure we go forward strong and unite.
"The most important thing is how we treat our daughters and how we treat our families."
Sniffling and low sobs can be heard in the background as the man tries to comfort inconsolable parents and children.
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Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among the nine people who were tragically killed in a fiery helicopter crash in Calabasas while they were heading to the youth basketball tournament.
Two of Gianna's teammates, Payton Chester and Alyssa Altobelli, were killed in the accident, as well as one of her coaches, Christina Mauser.
The rest of the tournament was cancelled following the earth-shattering news.
Bryant shied away from basketball in the years following his retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016, but Gigi reinvigorated his passion for what he loved.
The father and daughter would spend every evening watching basketball games together, and Gigi even dreamed of one day donning a UConn Huskies jersey for the team.
He opened up to fellow former players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson about his special relationship with his second-oldest daughter on the "All The Smoke" podcast.
"You know what's funny, so before Gigi got into basketball I hardly watched it, but now that's she's into basketball, we watch every night."
"And I mean every game," he then emphasized, before adding that "she watches everything," on NBA League Pass.
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Fans flocked to Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks on Monday to pay their respects and commemorate the man who built Staples Center.
Roses, balloons in the Lakers traditional gold and yellow, artwork and heartfelt notes were left in front.
Within hours of his death, a mural memorializing the NBA superstar and Gigi was painted near the crash site.
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