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CNN Live Event/Special

Kobe Bryant, 13-Year-Old Daughter Among Nine Killed In Helicopter Crash. Aired 8-9p ET

Aired January 26, 2020 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[20:00:47]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Good evening, everyone. And thank you for joining us. I'm Don Lemon.

Right now so much of the world is just in shock and disbelief trying to process what has happened today and make some sense of this gigantic loss. Here's what we know right now. And even though it has been several hours, it is still stunning to say the words that Kobe Bryant, the legendary NBA star, is dead tonight. His adorable 13-year- old daughter Gianna, known as Gigi, also dead tonight. Seven other people, a baseball coach, a pilot, all dead.

The helicopter they were traveling in crashed outside of Los Angeles. No word yet on why it crashed. But it went down. It caught fire on a hillside in Calabasas, California, about 30 miles outside of Los Angeles. Everyone on board was on their way to Thousand Oaks, California. They were on their way to a youth basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy. That is the training center opened by Kobe Bryant for young athletes. It opened just a year ago.

I want you to take a look now. This is the Staples Center in Los Angeles where people have been gathering there all afternoon, just not wanting to stay home. They are paying tribute and they are being with other fans of Kobe Bryant at the place where he played most of his home games in the 20 years with the L.A. Lakers. I'm going to take you there live in just a minute.

We have so much to report to you about this tragic story. There is no possible way to even show you even a fraction of the tributes that are being shared, shared memories and heartfelt personal reflections about Kobe Bryant that are flooding social media sites right now.

We have heard from Michael Jordan. We have heard from Kareem Abdul Jabbar. We've heard from Magic Johnson. We've heard from former president Barack Obama. And a universe of people whose names you have never heard of, whose lives were touched, whose aspirations were boosted, who are in mourning tonight because an inspirational athlete, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist and a family man is dead at just 41 years old, talking about Kobe Bryant.

And we have new information now about the weather at the time of this crash. I want to get straight to Calabasas, California, now and CNN's Nick Watt.

Nick, hello to you. You have been covering this story now. You're at the scene. And please tell us what officials are saying about the conditions there.

NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, so far, Don, officials have said very little about the potential cause of the crash. You know, those 18 people from the NTSB are still in the air flying west. They'll land here late tonight. But the weather will clearly, Don, be a focus of this investigation. Now we have heard from CNN's meteorologists that the humidity in that air this morning was maybe 100 percent. So that air would've been like soup.

There was this marine layer that we often see in the mornings here in Southern California. Plus, a storm front moving through. So visibility was bad. You know, I spoke to a friend of mine who's a pilot who was planning to fly today and did not fly because of the weather. But, Don, so far, absolutely nothing official from anybody official as to what the cause might be. I imagine we'll hear from the NTSB sometime tomorrow.

Now, people around here, they reported a thick fog this morning. They also report hearing a loud crash as that helicopter hit that hillside. And, you know, a fire broke out. That was the first thing that first responders had to deal with. They had to contain this brush fire before securing the scene so the investigators can try to figure out what went on.

Listen, they're going to look into the safety record of this particular helicopter, this particular model. They are going to look into the pilot's background. They are going to look at that course. They are going to analyze any radio traffic. But weather would right now appear, Don, to be the focus of where they will be looking forward to try and figure this out.

But right now L.A. just aghast, speechless. One radio sports announcer I heard this morning said this is going to be like JFK. You will remember where you were when Kobe Bryant died -- Don.

LEMON: When I got the -- someone texted me, actually a very famous director and producer texted me and said, I cannot believe it.

[20:05:09]

Got the first indication from TMZ and said, Don, please tell me because TMZ is reporting it. Does that absolutely mean it's true? And I said I hadn't heard about it. But as I'm looking over my notes here over the initial reports, Nick, the initial report came in as a brushfire. Is that so?

WATT: Well, I am not sure about that. But that was certainly the initial thing that they had to respond to. And just going back to what you were texted there, one young girl came up to me about an hour ago and said, have they actually found Kobe's body? Is there still hope? Have they actually found his body yet? Listen, this guy transcended basketball. He transcended sports. And

particularly here in L.A. he was much loved, partly because of events like the one he was going to today at the Mamba Academy to a tournament. I have spoken to a number of parents who were there waiting for Kobe and his daughter Gigi for their game that was supposed to be happening at noon when the news broke in that gymnasium. There was audible screams. There were then kids who got down on one knee and prayed -- Don.

LEMON: Yes, Nick, I just spoke to a father in Los Angeles who had to coach his daughter's basketball team today. And he said the mood was definitely somber at his daughter's gym and the basketball team there.

Nick Watt, joining us from Calabasas, California. Nick, we will get back to you and if you get more information, let us know. Thank you, Nick Watt.

We want to take a look now at the video. This video. This is LeBron James arriving back in Los Angeles just a short time ago. And you can see obviously emotional. You can see him wiping his eyes. Just last night, James surpassed Bryant for number three -- the number three spot on the NBA all-time scoring. You can see him hugging someone there. Again this video just coming in to CNN. That's LeBron James just arriving back. Emotional LeBron James.

Last week that he gave last night actually congratulating -- congratulations to James for surpassing him. Now here's LeBron James last night talking about the relationship that he had with Bryant as well as the impact Bryant had on his own career. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEBRON JAMES, NBA STAR: In 2001, I believe, I was playing in New Jersey, and the all-star game, if I'm not mistaken, you all can correct me, was in Philly, right? Yes. That Saturday, me and Maverick drove to the Intercontinental Downtown Philadelphia and he gave me a pair of his shoes which I ended up wearing that following night. It was the red, white, and blue Kobes. I was a 15 and he was a 14 and I wore them anyways.

And I sat and just talked to him for a little bit. He gave me the shoes, I rocked the shoes in the game and it was the same night that we played Oak Hill against Mellow. And then I saw what he was able to do the very next night winning MVP here in Philly. Now I'm here in a Lakers uniform in Philadelphia where he's from, where one of the first time I ever met him gave me his shoes he wore in the all-star. It's just -- it's surreal.

It doesn't make no sense, but the universe just puts things in your life, and I guess when you're living the right way or you're just giving everything to whatever you're doing, things happen organically and it's not supposed to make sense, but it just happens. And sorry -- and I'm happy just to be in any conversation with Kobe Bryant, one of the all-time greatest basketball players who ever played, one of the all-time greatest Lakers. The man got two jerseys hanging up in Staples Center. It's just crazy. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: And now we go, look at that. You're looking at live pictures now from the Staples Center outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles. And you can see there is a makeshift memorial and a tribute to Kobe Bryant. And I can't believe these words are coming out of my mouth, the late, and I'll add to that great, legendary Kobe Bryant. Fans gathering outside the Staples Center. And you can see the candles there lighted in honor of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, and all the folks who were on that helicopter, that doomed flight with Kobe.

And that's where we'll find CNN's Paul Vercammen there. He joins us now. What are you hearing from those fans, Paul?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: One of the first things that we heard is fan after fan had told us that they wished this was some sort of a joke, a mistake, an inaccuracy, just something on the internet that was wrong. They just couldn't believe that Kobe had passed.

[20:10:03]

But then once they got confirmation that he indeed had died, they wanted to come down here and share a moment with fellow Laker fans and honor Kobe Bryant and two of them are here, cousins, Michelle and Ben.

Tell us about what's going through your mind right now as you reflect on Kobe Bryant.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just, my heart is so heavy. I don't think --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mamba.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It feels so surreal just thinking about when we went to his final game to this moment and just knowing that he's gone, it's just so hard for us to kind of comprehend. And our family has been such Laker fans and has brought us together just watching games together, and just how inspirational Kobe has been for us. So it's very hard right now.

VERCAMMEN: So by that final game, the 60 points that he scored that was astounding, you know, late in his career against the Jazz. Now I want to ask you, Ben, why does he seem to transcend basketball for so many people in L.A.?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know what? He means a lot more than just basketball. What he does on and off the court, that's just something that he's always done. He's such a great motivational speaker.

Just the things that he does off the court with the things he's doing with his daughter, and just what's going on and how the tragedy has been taken place this morning, it feels like a dream. It feels like a nightmare that's been taking place here. So I felt like the best thing that we can do is just come out and support with other people and just cherish some of the memories that he had. VERCAMMEN: Well said. I thank both of you for taking time. That's the

feeling down here. They're absolutely shocked. And, Don, they are completely heartbroken over the loss of Kobe Bryant. Back to you.

LEMON: Paul Vercammen. Paul, thank you very much. I appreciate that.

Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna were traveling to a game that she was playing in and he was going to coach. And you got to see this. Take a look at this. It is a clip of Kobe talking about the experience of coaching his own daughter and watching her grow as an athlete.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOBE BRYAN, NBA STAR: Coaching the kids is fun. It just kind of came out of nowhere because my daughter just decided she wanted to play about two and a half years ago. You know, so, started coaching her a little bit, and then she made a local all-star team. And we really just kind of sit back and let them process things and figure things out because we want them to play for the long game and be the best basketball player they can be. It's fun to sit there and watch them hoop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I want to bring in someone now who I know well and love and admire him and respect him, that is supermodel Beverly Johnson.

Beverly, I'm so sorry for your loss. I know you knew this family very well.

BEVERLY JOHNSON, SUPERMODEL: Yes.

LEMON: I want to ask you how you're doing because I know, but tell me about Kobe, please.

JOHNSON: Yes. Don, it's a very, very sad day today. And I happen to be in Los Angeles when, you know, the news came out and I immediately called my daughter, who is Shaya, Kobe's sister's best friend. And they've been best friends for decade.

And I knew Kobe from a young man. And, you know, Shaya and Anansa going to the games together and -- which made me very close with Pam and Joe, and Shaya, his sister is like a second daughter, because my daughter Anansa Sims and Shaya were so close.

So I'm just -- I want to support the family. I can't even imagine how they feel. But I just wanted to say -- tell people about another side of Kobe that, you know, from his sister's side and Sharia and their kids are born, and so my daughter has four children, and then Shaya has three kids and to see the kids now playing basketball and Kobe's daughter playing -- I mean, it's just -- I don't know what else to say.

But I did want to say, you know, to Joe and Pam and Sharia and Shaya, how deeply sorry I am and I just wanted to say that to them. And I just thought that I need to say something. LEMON: Tell us about the -- because when I talked to you earlier, you

talked about -- because we know the public side of Kobe Bryant, and you were talking to me earlier about the private side. And you said that he was quiet, and was it quite shy? I don't want to put words in your mouth.

JOHNSON: Yes. I mean, we're talking about decades ago when he was a young man, and, you know, Shaya and Anansa are best friends. So he would come over to the house, we live in Beverly Hills, and he was a quiet, he was just a quiet young man.

[20:15:08]

And already, you know, the buzz was out that he was going to be the greatest of all time maybe. But -- and it was nice to watch this young man blossom not only as an athlete but as a man and a father. And -- but I was more close to his family. And through his family, I, you know, watched his life. And so my daughter Anansa Sims and Shaya are best friends in the world. They're at the baby showers. You know, it's just -- I don't even know what to say. It's -- I'm shaking. I'm shaking. Devastating. Absolutely devastating.

LEMON: Have you had a chance to speak to his family?

JOHNSON: No, I haven't. As a matter of fact, when I found out, I was having my hair done, and I just -- I called my daughter immediately, and she did not know because I have four grandchildren, she has four children, and they're watching Mickey Mouse and knew nothing about Kobe's death.

She immediately called Shaya. That, you know, from the screaming to the moaning to the -- you know, so I'm so happy I was in Los Angeles to be here for my daughter and to support my daughter and Shaya and the family. It's hit close to home. It has hit close to home.

LEMON: Well, Beverly, I appreciate your time.

JOHNSON: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: And thank you for spending time on the phone with me today and for calling here on CNN. And you take care of your family. I love you.

JOHNSON: I love you, too.

LEMON: And you be well and stay strong. OK?

JOHNSON: Thank you so much.

LEMON: Thank you.

As we go to break, we want to show just a moment of silence held in Kobe Bryant's honor at the Denver Nuggets game.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, basketball fans. A tragedy has befallen the world of basketball. Earlier today at the age of 41, Kobe Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash. In 20 seasons with the Lakers, Kobe was a 17-time all-star, two-time NBA Finals MVP, two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time NBA champion.

The NBA and the game of basketball will mourn this loss together. Please join us in a moment of silence for Kobe Bryant. Rest in peace, Mamba.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:22:20]

LEMON: In the basketball world, athletes use their shoes as a way to express themselves on the court. Often writing messages on them in marker.

Kobe Bryant, well, he gave himself the nickname "The Black Mamba." And that nickname appeared on LeBron James's shoes just last night as James passed Bryant on the NBA all-time scoring list. And now in death, Bryant's name is again appearing on players' shoes, a reminder of the legacy he leaves behind.

New Orleans Pelicans player Lonzo Ball wore those shoes to honor Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Ball played for the Lakers in 2017, a year after Bryant retired. Written in gold marker on his shoes are "RIP Kobe and RIP Gianna." Rest in peace.

CNN's most recent interview with Kobe Bryant was by our very own Andy Scholes in sports. Well, he was in Los Angeles just 11 days ago at a season launch event for Major League Soccer. And Andy Scholes joins me now.

Andy, hello to you. Tell us about that interview with Kobe. What was it like?

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Well, you know, Don, any time you get to sit down with Kobe Bryant, it's special. We all know he's one of the greatest athletes of all time, five-time NBA champion.

But he was also, you know, excelling in his post-NBA career and his business life. You know, he was one of the early investors into this sports drink Body Armour and that's why he was at the Major League Soccer event because Body Armour and Major League Soccer just signed a landmark deal together.

And, you know, I got the chance to sit down with Kobe. We talked soccer. He was a big soccer fan growing up in Italy, watching the game quite a bit. We talked about his daughter Gigi and the game of women's basketball. Here's a portion of our interview that, again, was just 11 days ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: The NBA fans love to debate which team from which era was better. Shaq recently weighed in saying that he absolutely thinks you and him would've beaten this current Lakers' team with LeBron and Anthony Davis. What's your take on that hypothetical matchup?

BRYANT: I don't weigh in on hypotheticals. I never have. Those things drive me crazy. Right? Like, because as a competitor there's nothing you can do about them. You can't debate yourself to winning something. Right? That was the beauty about sports is you compete, you either win or you lose. In the debate culture there's never a clear winner so it's kind of pointless for me. I don't engage in those things, but it's fun to hear.

SCHOLES: You recently said your daughter Gigi got you back into watching a lot of NBA.

BRYANT: Yes.

SCHOLES: You're taking her to a bunch of games this year, sitting courtside with her. As you watch games with her, and coach her through her basketball journey, I wanted to get your take on if you think a woman could ever play in the NBA one day?

BRYANT: Played in the NBA -- I think there are a couple players that can play in the NBA right now, honestly. I mean, there is a lot of players that have a lot of skills that can do it. Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore. I mean, there's a lot of great players out there. Elena Delle Donne. So, they could most certainly keep up with them.

[20:25:04]

SCHOLES: I know you're a big soccer fan growing up in Italy when you were a kid. I wanted to get your thoughts on what seems to be an increase in racism in European football and if there's anything that can be done to combat it.

BRYANT: It's always education and understanding that racism is a thing that's been a part of our culture for a while, even though now, you know, we've come such a long way. But there's still so much to be done. And I think education is always the most important thing.

I think speaking up and taking a stand, a significant stand. I was growing in Italy, I've obviously witnessed it firsthand going to certain soccer matches and things of that nature and things that my parents have taught me and educated me on how to deal with those sorts of things and looking at various ways that I've handled extremely well from Jackie Robinson or to Bill Russell and so forth and so on. So I think education is very important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHOLES: Yes, Don, I was lucky enough to interact with Kobe in two sectors of my life. I was a ball boy for the Houston Rockets when I was in college. And when I sat down with Kobe, I actually showed him a picture of the two of us from back in 2003. And Kobe had a nice laugh and said, yes, we were both youngsters back then. And in that moment, Don, I actually -- I thanked Kobe for always being such a nice, genuine person because, you know, back then he was the best player in the NBA.

But he still always took the time to take pictures with all the ball boys, sign all of our autographs that we wanted. And that can't be said for a lot of people. But Kobe was always like that, just a very nice and genuine person.

LEMON: Andy, I remember when I went to work in Philadelphia, and Kobe had left a couple years before. I went to work in Philadelphia in 1999. He left in 1996. And I went to work at the station in Philadelphia. But it was just on the other side of City Line Avenue, right? And so it was in Lower Merion or, you know, they called it the main line. And there were so many Kobe stories from just about everyone at my station and all of them were very positive.

And every time we passed a high school they would say that's where Kobe went to high school, that's where Kobe went to high school. He had such -- he was such a huge legend in that town, and everyone was so proud that he came from Philadelphia, not really, but Lower Merion. It was just amazing to even work in a town where his legend was just so big. And he was so popular and just beloved in that area. It was amazing.

SCHOLES: So many people heartbroken, Don. It's still not real for me because I just saw him 11 days ago.

LEMON: Yes. Yes. I can't -- no one can believe it. No one can believe. Thank you. I appreciate that, Andy. And it's great that you have such great memories with him in that photo. Thank you, Andy.

So let's talk about some other folks who knew him well and who loved him. And that's Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, you know, both joined the L.A. Lakers in 1996. They helped take the Lakers to three straight NBA titles from 2000 to 2002.

O'Neal reacted to the news, sharing pictures of the two of them together, and writing, "There's no words to express the pain I'm going through with this tragedy of losing my niece Gigi and my brother Kobe Bryant. I love you and you will be missed. My condolences go out to the Bryant family and the families of the other passengers on board. I am sick right now.

"Kobe was so much more than an athlete. He was a family man. That was what he -- that's what we had most in common. I would hug his children like they were my own, and he would embrace my kids like they were his. His baby girl Gigi was born on the same day as my youngest daughter Me'arah." "

Michael Jordan released a statement saying, in part, "I am in shock over the tragic news of Kobe's and Gianna's passing. Words can't describe the pain I'm feeling. I love Kobe. He was like a little brother to me.

We used to talk often, and I will miss those conversations very much. He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force. Kobe was also an amazing dad who loved his family deeply and took great pride in his daughter's love for the game of basketball."

We will be right back.

[20:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Well, there's no question that Kobe Bryant is an absolute NBA legend. And for years, there's been discussion about where he falls among the basketball greats, such as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and on and on. Well, and Bryant was never shy about fueling those debates, including an appearance on The Late Show with James -- The Late Late Show with James Corden in March.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CORDEN, T.V. SHOW HOST, THE LATE LATE SHOW: I would like you to rank these legendary basketball players from best to worst. LeBron James, Michael Jordan --

KOBE BRYANT, FORMER NBA PLAYER, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Yes.

CORDEN: -- and Kobe Bryant.

BRYANT: You know what I'm going to answer, but I'm not going to answer it because then everybody's going to sit down there and debate it. So, I'm just going to take a bite of this.

CORDEN: Bite the other end. Bite that end.

CARA DELEVINGNE, MODEL: Why that end?

CORDEN: Bite that end.

DELEVINGNE: Why?

CORDEN: This one?

CORDEN: You can't answer. You can't answer it. It's pretty straightforward, I think. What do you reckon?

BRYANT: Fine.

CORDEN: (INAUDIBLE)

BRYANT: I'm the best, Michael's second-best, LeBron is third.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: CNN's Brian Stelter is here with me now.

BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Respect for that.

LEMON: Yes, I know, right? You've got to have respect for that. And it's nice he had a great sense of humor, so it's nice to be able to smile right now in this moment. He was much more than a basketball player.

STELTER: There's so many facets to his life.

[20:35:09]

LEMON: What about his personality that made him larger than life?

STELTER: Well, I think it is -- it is that determination to be number one, to be the greatest, that infused everything that he was doing. And that extended into new mediums and new businesses in recent years, whether it's venture capital or philanthropy. You know, he was one of the very, very, very few NBA players to have won an Academy Award.

LEMON: Right.

STELTER: He won an Oscar a couple of years ago for Best Animated Short. And we can show you what the Academy has said this evening. They said, this is a statement from the Academy of Motion Pictures, celebrating Kobe's life saying, they doubted a kid could make it in the NBA and he proved them wrong. They doubted he could win a championship and he proved them wrong.

They doubted he can make movies and he won an Oscar. Like all great artists, Kobe Bryant proved the doubters wrong. Rest in peace.

You know, I think on one level, on the sports level, it is hard to think of a more shocking death in the sports world in many, many years. This has shaken the entire country. And beyond the sports world, you know, it reminds me of the day the prince died unexpectedly, where there's that shock where nobody sees it coming. These don't come very often. And it's a testament to Kobe's success and excellence that the whole country has been shaken by this, Don.

LEMON: Well, what was interesting to me is -- last time that, you know, I covered (INAUDIBLE) and standing out there at the Staples Center, and the last time I did that was when Michael Jackson died.

STELTER: Michael Jackson died. Yes.

LEMON: And then the last time I covered someone live, on a Sunday, was -- the Grammy's, was Whitney Houston.

STELTER: Whitney Houston.

LEMON: And here I am covering now Kobe Bryant. But when you think about Kobe Bryant, Kobe Bryant was an amazing athlete, right? Set records as an athlete, very handsome. But also, really smart and intelligent. Tell us, I mean, because his business brand ventures. He started the Mamba Academy. He was also a philanthropist. I mean --

STELTER: Yes. There's all these ventures, all these businesses looking, you know, making cameos in television, writing a book two years ago. And in that book, you know, he laid out what he thought was so important. He said, to be great, you've got to be passionate. To be really, really, really great in a particular thing, you've got to be obsessed. And he had that. He had that drive. You know, at the Grammy Awards that are going on right now, Alicia Keys started off saying we are all feeling crazy sadness right now. The whole world, she said, lost a hero. And she ended the tribute by saying, we love you, Kobe. I think that is what you can feel all around. As you've been talking about, one of the only people in the world on a first-name basis, you only know him by one name.

LEMON: Yes. I know, I was talking about the Grammy's ceremony happening tonight. So, as we go to break, Brian Stelter, let's watch that moment with Alicia Keys.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALICIA KEYS, SINGER-SONGWRITER: We're all feeling crazy sadness right now, because earlier today, Los Angeles, America, and the whole wide world lost a hero. And we're literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built.

Right now, Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, and all of those that are -- that have been tragically lost today, are in our spirit, they are in our hearts, they are in our prayers. They're in this building. And I would like to ask everybody to take a moment and just hold them inside of you, hold them inside of you and share our strength and our support with their families. We never imagined, in a million years, we'd have to start the show like this, never, never, never, never.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[20:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: If you're just joining us, it is our breaking news tonight, the legendary Kobe Bryant, dead, at the age of 41. His 13-year-old daughter is also dead along with seven other people. The helicopter they were traveling in crashed into a hillside this morning, near Los Angeles. Investigators are on the scene of that crash. There is some talk about the weather conditions.

But nothing definitive yet at -- to the point of a cause -- to point to the cause of this crash. It is the way these investigations work. They are meticulous, and they are thorough and they demand patience.

So, let's bring in someone who knows that airspace very well, knows the terrain, the quirky California weather, and that is Ryan Antoon. He's a helicopter pilot, flight instructor in Los Angeles. Ryan, thank you so much for joining us. Tell us your thoughts when you heard what happened, when you found out where it happened and the conditions at the time. Tell us your thoughts.

RYAN ANTOON, HELICOPTER PILOT AND FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (via Skype): Hey, Don, thanks for having me. Yes, I was actually in the air this morning when it happened. And the weather was -- you know, we had low ceiling, so the clouds were pretty low. And I've gone back and looked at the radar track. And, you know, this -- the helicopters tend to fly pretty well. They tend to fly under the weather a lot of the time.

But this morning, it was particularly bad in L.A., not bad enough that you wouldn't want to fly, but bad enough that there were pilots that I knew that made the decision not to fly this morning.

LEMON: So, Ryan, when -- we're hearing this -- the -- a bunch of raw data about the weather --

ANTOON: Yes.

LEMON: -- at the time --

ANTOON: Yes.

LEMON: -- of this crash, the words extremely low visibility, high humidity, some rain, would those conditions be a problem for this? I think it's a Sikorsky helicopter. Am I pronouncing that correctly?

ANTOON: Yes, you're pronounce -- it's a Sikorsky S-76, but this is a twin engine, IFR-certified aircraft, so it's able to fly through the weather. The aircraft is operating on a special VFR clearance. So, what that means is, they were below the clouds and operating visually, so they had to be able to see where they were going even though the weather was very low.

Now, I wouldn't even say it was extremely low weather conditions. It was low enough that, you know, a lot of people weren't flying. But that's what, you know, when you look at the radar track, you see the helicopter circling around downtown and holding. And when I went back and listened to the communications with air traffic control, they were being held outside of airspace because they were on a special clearance.

[20:45:05]

And, you know, that area, the area where we were flying or they were flying this morning, was not a remotely traveled route. That's a place where, you know, we commonly go up and down the 101 and use the 101 for navigation when you're in a helicopter at a low level. So, nothing abnormal. What's unfortunate is you see -- again, I don't want to speculate too much on what happened because we don't -- we don't have any indication that there's anything wrong with the helicopter.

But, right now, it does look like they made an abrupt turnback. So, they were flying along the 101, and the pilot decided to do a turnback toward the airport, all of a sudden, without telling air traffic control. So, that would indicate to me that there's some possibility that they might've flown into some weather that they weren't planning on flying into and decided to turn around.

And that's, you know, shortly after that is when the aircraft impacted the ground. So, again, I don't want to speculate. I don't want to say definitively what happened. The NTSB and the FAA really dig into that over the next couple of days and come out with a preliminary report. That'll give us a lot more details. But that's what we have right now.

LEMON: Ryan, I have to get to the break. But is there -- is there anything tricky about flying in that area under those conditions?

ANTOON: Well, it's -- you know, Los Angeles is not -- is not flat terrain. There's a lot of mountains, and the weather conditions can be idiosyncratic when you're going from Santa Monica to Van Nuys, which is, you know, eight miles apart. You can have totally different weather patterns. And so, as you're transiting these areas especially low level, you can have very clear skies in one area and very low ceilings and rain in another area.

And so, as you transit these things, these different areas, you do -- you do tend to run into really variable weather patterns, which seems like what was going on this morning when I was flying.

LEMON: Ryan Antoon is very familiar with that area. He is a helicopter pilot and flight instructor in Los Angeles. And we appreciate him for joining us here. Thank you, Ryan.

ANTOON: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: Yes. As we go to break, I want to show you this. These are young children attending the Kobe Bryant tournament today in Calabasas, learning the news that NBA legend, their hero, had passed away. Back in a moment.

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[20:50:00]

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LEMON: Breaking news tonight, the legendary Kobe Bryant, dead, at the age of 41. His 13-year-old daughter is also dead along with seven other people. Joining me now on the phone on this painful night is Deepak Chopra.

Deepak taught Kobe Bryant meditation and his son, Gotham Chopra, directed the documentary Kobe Bryant, Muse. We have talked a lot tonight about Kobe Bryant, the superstar, athlete and celebrity, but you taught him how to meditate. Thank you so much, Deepak, for joining us.

DEEPAK CHOPRA AMERICAN-INDIAN AUTHOR (via telephone): Yes, Don, thank you.

LEMON: It's something you won't -- you won't -- you didn't know about his public persona. But tell me about Kobe and what you knew about him, the man behind the scenes.

CHOPRA: Well, actually, you know, my son, Gotham, knew him very well because they spent more than a year doing Muse with him, so he became part of our family conversation. Gotham's son, my grandson, was almost part of his family. He did learn meditation after, you know, the last time I saw him was maybe a year ago.

And he was humble with me, heartfelt, wanted to learn about higher states of consciousness, lot of conversation around compassion, empathy, joy, love, wanting to make a difference in the world. But we are heartbroken. The whole family is grieving right now, especially the kids, you know, who considered him a father figure. My -- Gotham's son definitely is totally devastated and we don't know how to make sense of this right now. The grief is too raw. And we'll all miss him. The world will miss him.

He was such an amazing person. And, you know, he did have his issues, and Gotham brought them out in the movie, his personal life and some of his regrets and all the mistakes he might've made. But he did come through, and he was a good person, and he was actually in the deepest part of his being. He was very spiritual. So, we'll miss him. We are sad, we are crying.

LEMON: Yes. Listen, as someone who practices meditation, it can be very helpful to dealing with just everyday life and dealing with issues and also just helping to calm and getting in touch with, you know, with the inner or deeper part of ourselves that we often need to do.

CHOPRA: Yes, Don.

LEMON: And --

CHOPRA: We must grieve. We must get in touch with our grief --

LEMON: Right.

CHOPRA: Because if we don't, it only gets worse. So, wherever he is, rest in peace. We are grieving right now. We don't -- we understand these things happen all the time, unpredictable, and just shows us how fragile life is.

LEMON: Well, you answered my question in part because I lost my sister back in 2018. And it was really --

CHOPRA: Oh, my God.

LEMON: -- I went through a really tough time. So, help us out. What do we do right now?

CHOPRA: We bring his awareness. We bring his faith into our heart. We feel him. We feel love for him. We wish him peace. And we feel the pain. The only way to go through this pain is feel it and go through it. It's like going through fire. You burn, but then, ultimately, it has a life cycle. Grief has an energy of its own, and the more we remember fond moments of him, the more we keep him in our heart.

And the more we wish him and his family the best in the future, the more it eases our pain, and the more it eases everybody else's pain. And, remember, death is something that we all have to face. It's just a question of when.

LEMON: And we are out of time, Deepak. Thank you so much. We appreciate you joining us. Thank you.

CHOPRA: Thank you, Don. Thank you very much. LEMON: That does it for me. I'm Don Lemon. And we leave you with the final moments of Kobe Bryant's last game where he electrified the home crowd with a 60-point performance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMMENTATOR: Will Kobe give them one last gamer?

[20:55:10]

Bryant on the move with the jumper. He's got it. Oh, my, fifty-leap.