Kobe Bryant， one of the greatest basketball players of all time， died in a helicopter （直升飞机） crash （坠毁） with his daughter on Sunday． （1） 　 　．

Mr． Bryant's death has caused great sadness． （2） 　 　Some NBA players held onto the ball for 24 seconds when games started on Sunday． They were doing it out of respect for Mr． Bryant who had worn the number 24．

Mr． Bryant had played for the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 years． （3） 　 　． During his time with the Lakers， Mr． Bryant led the team to five national championships （锦标赛）． Mr． Bryant helped lead the US Olympic team to win the gold medal in 2008 and 2012． Along the way， Mr． Bryant became one of the most famous and popular basketball players of all time．

Mr． Bryant spent his early school years in Italy． His father was a professional basketball player there． His family moved back to the US when Mr． Bryant was in high school． He played and practiced hard in the high school． （4） 　 　．And his performance on the court （球场） caused excitement and got much attention．

In 2016， Mr． Bryant retired （退役）． During his time with the Lakers， Mr． Bryant had worn the numbers 8 and 24（5） 　 　．After he retired， Mr． Bryant focused on （关注） his family． Mr． Bryant also set up basketball camps and programs for kids， to help share his love of the game． He took up new activities， too． He started a company that produced books and movies．

A． He joined the team at the age of 17． B． The crash killed nine people in all． C． When he retired， the Lakers said those numbers wouldn't be used again． D． His goal was becoming even better than his boyhood hero， Michael Jordan． E． Friends， fans， and well﹣known people from around the world were all very sad．