Los Angeles (AFP)

Michael Jordan speechless, LeBron James in tears, condolences of Donald Trump and Barack Obama: the death of basketball player Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash raised a wave of emotion at the height of the talent of this legendary NBA.

Bryant, five-time NBA champion with the Lakers, his lifelong club, died Sunday in his helicopter crash in Calabasas, southern California, according to the city mayor and the provincial governor, who confirmed the died a few hours after its announcement by the American celebrity news site TMZ.

Gianna Bryant, one of the star's four daughters, 13, also died in the crash, which claimed nine lives, said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

"There were no survivors ... There were nine people on board," said Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles County sheriff, at a media briefing.

The cause of the accident is currently unknown. The NTSB, the US agency responsible for transportation safety, announced that it had dispatched a team of 18 people to California to participate in the investigation.

"This is terrible news!", US President Donald Trump first tweeted, before writing another: "Kobe Bryant, although he is one of the best basketball players of all the times were just beginning in life. He loved his family so much and had such a passion for the future. The loss of his daughter, Gianna, makes this moment all the more devastating. "

- "The devastated NBA family" -

A few minutes later, his White House predecessor Barack Obama, a great basketball fan, greeted a "legend" of public prosecutors on the same channel before sending his "prayers" to the bereaved family.

"The NBA family is devastated," reacted the North American Basketball League through the pen of its boss Adam Silver, in tune with the biggest stars of sport-king in the United States.

"I am shocked to learn of the tragic death of Kobe and Gianna. Words are not enough to describe my pain," tweeted NBA star Michael Jordan, who considered the deceased "a little brother."

"I AM SICK," tweeted Shaquille O'Neal, who was his teammate in Los Angeles in the early 2000s, before leaving for Miami, falling out with him.

The whole Lakers family, up to those who sat before him in the gold and purple pantheon of the franchise also reacted. "He was the greatest Laker of all time," said legend Magic Johnson.

"Most people will remember Kobe as a magnificent athlete who inspired a generation of basketball players. But I will always remember him as a man who was much more than an athlete," said, moved, Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

- Tribute to the Grammy Awards -

Beyond words, there are also images. Those poignant ones by LeBron James - who has not yet spoken - have been around the world. We see him, embraced by a person, then drying his tears with a handkerchief, on the tarmac of the Los Angeles airport where he had just landed with his teammates from Philadelphia, the birthplace of Bryant.

The day before, LBJ surpassed its glorious elder in 3rd place of the best markers of all time in the NBA. An achievement that Bryant, fair play, had not hesitated to salute. "Keep advancing the game + King James +. A lot of respect my brother", had tweeted the "Black Mamba".

The Staples Center, home of Bryant's exploits, where many fans flocked during the day, hosted the Grammy Awards in the evening. "Tonight is for Kobe," said singer Lizzo, a big favorite with eight nominations, at the opening of the ceremony.

After consultation between players, franchises and the NBA, all of Sunday's games have been continued. In Atlanta and San Antonio, the players deliberately did not play for the first 24 seconds, in tribute to the number of their last jersey. In Denver, a minute of silence was respected, but countless "Kobe, Kobe" chanted by the public were heard.

On social networks, the tsunami of emotions continued on all sides, erasing the criticism of his individualism and arrogance that have marked his career.

"Black Mamba", player as brilliant as greedy ball in hand, was one of the seven players to have registered more than 30,000 points during his career

Also in financial terms, his career has been exceptional: the face of Nike, who had supported him despite a rape accusation in 2003 ended in an agreement far from the courts, Bryant, the highest paid player on the planet, has accumulated no less of 323.3 million dollars in salary (293.1 M EUR at current price), including 25 million in his last season.

The death of Bryant, who also gleaned two Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012 with Team USA, comes 25 days after the death of David Stern, the former "commissioner" of the NBA who had made him prosper and become a global brand.

And who understood that American basketball would become popular like never before, thanks to geniuses like Kobe.

© 2020 AFP