On Sunday evening Swedish time, the world was reached by the news that basketball legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash. Finnish Marko Yrjövuori was a personal fitness coach for Bryant for twelve years and is now mourning his friend's passing.
- It was a sleepless night and it is a heavy day. I must admit that, he tells SVT Sport.
Clip: Kobe Bryant death crash - this has happened
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From 2004 until Kobe Bryant ended his basketball career in 2016, Marko Yrjövuori worked for the Los Angeles Lakers and was ultimately responsible for the well-being of big star Bryant. They worked very close together and after Bryant left, Yrjövuori moved home to Finnish Turku. On Sunday evening, his phone started ringing.
- When the news came out in American media, the phone started ringing and there were a lot of messages. It was a complete shock. At first, I didn't think it was true. It was such a terrible and unlikely news, says Yrjövuori.
How was Kobe Bryant as a human being?
- He was a good family man and unfortunately one of his daughters also died in the accident. He was always so kind to me and my family. We had children the same age.
"One of the absolute greatest"Meanwhile, Bryant and the Finn worked together, becoming the Los Angeles Lakers' NBA champion twice.
- We have shared so many memories and experiences. Of course, I will remember our common successes when the team won. I don't know how many thousands of hours we spent together trying to get him ready for games and the like.
How big would you say he is in the history of sports and basketball?
- In the basketball, he is one of the absolute greatest of all time. And he also belongs to the big ones in sports overall. In Finland he may not be very big, but in the world he can be compared to the biggest football stars like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, says Yrjövuori.
Kobe Bryant turned 41 years old.
Clip: Kobe Bryant's most powerful points
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Archive: SVT Sports meeting with Kobe Bryant (2005)
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