Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, made regular visits to Santa Barbara during and after his storied NBA career.

Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among nine people who died in the crash, which was reported just before 10 a.m. in the area of Las Virgenes Road and Willow Glen Street, less than a mile south of Highway 101.

There were no survivors.

The cause of the crash is under investigation, but authorities say heavy fog is suspected as a factor.

For eight years, Bryant held his Kobe Academy basketball camp during the summer at UC Santa Barbara, drawing young players from around the world to learn from the NBA champion.

In a question-and-answer session with campers and parents in 2014, Bryant was asked about his uber competitiveness on the basketball court.

“I feel like a volcano,” he said when he stepped on the court.

He told the players: “Follow your passion, if you know what that is.”

To the parents: “Enable your children to follow their dream. Kids, try to identify what you really want to do in life and then follow that dream.”

Former Santa Barbara High basketball star Amber Melgoza followed that advice and earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Washington, where she has been a standout player for four seasons.

Melgoza responded to the news of Bryant’s death on Twitter:

Why does this happen to amazing people?! I can’t believe any of this. I’m sick to my stomach �� Kobe you been my favorite player since I have been a little girl. You taught me how to be tough and never give up. For you Kobe and Gigi I play for you guys now. #MambaMentality — Amber Melgoza (@AmberMelgoza) January 27, 2020

Santa Barbara High boys basketball assistant coach Greg Blessing also tweeted about the loss of Bryant and his daughter:

RIP GIGI And prayers to all. Dads with daughters let’s unite and be the best for their legacy as well! pic.twitter.com/tQ8vSC6dQd — Greg Blessing (@blessinggreg) January 27, 2020

Steve Stokes, athletic director and boys basketball coach at Providence School, shared his shock on Twitter:

Been a heart breaking day. Hearing of Kobe's passing was hard enough, but to hear of his daughter as well has had me in tears. My daughter is a little over 7 months right now. Can't imagine. Our baby girls are the world to us. Life is all about the dash. RIP! — Steve Stokes (@CoachStokes42) January 27, 2020

UCSB men’s basketball coach Joe Pasternak said of Bryant: “Kobe Bryant was the ultimate competitor whose daily work ethic was second to no one.”

Carpinteria High boys basketball coach Scott Sorich said he was inspired by Bryant’s drive to be the best.

“I have been inspired by Kobe’s competitiveness, determination to improve, prepare and win,” he said. “Also, after his career was over, he focused that same level of determination to have a positive influence in the lives of others — especially kids, through sports and the arts.”

San Marcos boys basketball coach Jelani Hicks said Kobe was a huge idol and a great example when he was growing up

"The way he approached the game, his mentality and the way he carried himself we tried to copy," said Hicks. "Even as a retired player, he continued to show us the way. He and his daughter was a big inspiration to me starting my Dream Chaser Academy after competing against and watching them develop their program for Gigi

"It’s heartbreaking. You never expect it to end this way for him and his daughter. He was the example for many. I wore his number in college and continue to wear his shoes when I play or practice. His legacy will live on forever. He created a blueprint for us and we must keep it alive through hard work, discipline and attacking everything with MAMBA MENTALITY."

Dos Pueblos girls basketball coach Phil Sherman said having grown up in the Los Angeles area has made the impact of Kobe's death even tougher for him to deal with personally.

"Los Angeles is a diverse city. There are Brown people living in the same neighborhoods as Black people, wealthy folks living often times a block away from poor people, and rival gangs at every turn. Los Angeles could very well be a ticking time bomb. Kobe, however, was a unifying factor for that city," said Sherman.

"When the playoffs were taking place, fans would raise their Laker flags on their cars. When they won championships, the parades were filled with the same diverse people who created walls of separation in the City of Angels. They shared the joy of the team's success and forgot about how different they were individually. They were united because of a team they loved and a superstar whose sheer will to win was embraced by the entire city.

"‘The ‘Mamba Mentality’ will live on forever. Coaches will always be able to tell stories of his dedication and extreme methods of preparation for the sport of basketball and perhaps life, too."

Santa Barbara High boys basketball coach Corey Adam said Kobe's work ethic and preparation is the prime example of what coaches preach to their athletes.

"There are so many stories about Kobe that we can share with players about competing and putting the extra work in to reach goals," said Adam. "I have not had a chance to talk to my guys since the news broke but I’m sure he was an idol for some as Magic (Johnson) was for my generation. His work ethic and dedication to his kids is an inspiration for all."

Former UCSB star Brian Shaw, who played against Bryant and won NBA championships with him as a teammate and as an assistant coach with the Lakers, said in an NBA TV interview:

“He was a champion as a player, and was entering a transition to being a champion as a businessman off court and very connected, and doing so many things with his daughter in her basketball career that was just beginning,” he said.

“Just condolences and heartfelt everything goes out to (father) ‘Jelly Bean,’ his mom, his sisters, (wife) Vanessa and the girls, and the basketball community as a whole, losing one of the best we’ve ever seen play and represent the game at the highest level.”

He added: “In terms of competitiveness and will power, a guy you want to be in the foxhole with in any kind of game situation. From the discipline it took for him to stretch and work out and take care of his body, and the pain threshold he had when he would come down and turn his ankle, he taped it up tighter and still play in the game.

“If you were there, like I was, you saw and understood that’s what made him special and made different than everybody else.”

UCLA women’s basektball coach Cori Close, a former UCSB standout player, addressed Bryant’s tragic death in her opening statement after the Bruins’ home game Sunday against Washington State:

“There’s just no words,” reported the Los Angeles Times. “There’s no words that make it any better.

“I’m just deeply saddened and it’s deeply affected these people, and my response as a leader is to make sure that I cherish every day and relish every opportunity because the next one isn’t promised.”

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley recalled spending time with Bryant 10 years ago at a Boys & Girls Club of Santa Barbara fundraiser.

Bryant’s appearance at the event had been kept a secret until the last minute.

Dudley, who was on the organization’s board at the time, said Bryant confided in her that he was anxious about speaking in front of the group, and asked her, “How do you do that?”

She joked that she would tell him “when he told me how he made all those three-pointers.”

She added that when Bryant talked to the kids, he was “warm and friendly. There was nothing BS about it.”

Dudley said she found Bryant “lovely and warm ... I was so touched by him.”

In addition to the Bryants, the crash killed John Altobelli, the head baseball coach at Orange Coast College, his wife and daughter; several other young basketball players, parents and coaches; and the pilot.

The helicopter took off from John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana early Sunday. The contingent was en route to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, where GiGi Bryant and her teammates were to play in a day of basketball games coached by her father.

Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and three other daughters, Natalia, Bianca and Capri.

Noozhawk Executive Editor Tom Bolton contributed to this report.

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