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3 months ago
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A man attending a comic convention in China arrived in a Kobe Bryant mask and a helicopter costume in a crude reference to the 2020 crash that claimed the lives of the Lakers legend, his daughter Gianna, and seven others.
The spectacle took place at a convention in the bustling Hangzhou, where the unidentified attendee re-enacted the fatal crash while wearing a helicopter costume made of plastic bottles and cardboard. The performer wore a Bryant mask and replica jersey to drive home the bit.
Video of the display has since gone viral, prompting outrage from around the basketball-loving world.
'Hope this guy who cosplayed as Kobe in a Helicopter crash gets hit by a Helicopter,' one angry fan wrote on X.
'I'm unsure why anyone would wear a 'Kobe Bryant helicopter crash costume' but here we are,' added another.
Wearing a Kobe Bryant uniform and mask, the man proceeded to recreate the 2020 crash
Victims of the 2020 crash in Calabasas, California included John Altobelli, his wife Keri, and his daughter Alyssa; Sarah Chester and her daughter Payton; as well as basketball coach Christina Mauser and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.
The shocking display in Hangzhou is made all the more surprising given the reverence Chinese basketball fans hold for Bryant.
In fact, Bryant memorials sprang up across China in the days after his passing, including a massive statue in the city of Guangzhou.
'Your fearlessly striving spirit, whether in basketball or in life, is worthy of remembrance,' read a translated post from the People's Daily.
Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant attend a basketball game in 2019 in Los Angeles
In total, nine individuals were killed in the 2020 helicopter crash in Calabasas, California
Emergency crews in Calabasas are seen responding to emergency calls following the crash
In 2013, Bryant's physical therapist Judy Seto told Bleacher Report about her client's immense popularity in China.
'It's like nothing I've ever seen,' she said.
In one instance, Seto described seeing 15,000 fans waiting to see Bryant at a venue at 9am – seven hours before he was scheduled to arrive.
'People are chasing the van…and then people start kissing the windows,' Seto said. 'Sometimes it's scary, especially because when I go, there's a reason I'm there: For this last go-around (in August) with the Achilles tendon repair, I had to make sure there were no times when he was in a spot where it's not safe.'
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