One of basketball's greatest players, Kobe Bryant, has been killed in a helicopter crash in the US state of California.

The cause of the crash is unknown. The helicopter, a Sikorsky S-76 B, is a model with a strong safety record. Federal crash investigators will search the wreckage and the site.

The former Los Angeles Lakers player was one of the nine people who died. He was 41.

Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports from Calabasas, California.