Latest in Kobe Bryant

Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant was granted quick acceptance into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, according to news reports. The official announcement is expected Saturday. The Basketball Hall of Fame has a three-year waiting period from the end of a player’s career for induction consideration…

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva admitted Monday he has known for weeks that deputies took photos of the crash site where Kobe Bryant and eight others were killed, and said he ordered department personnel to delete the images from their personal devices. “That was my number one priority, to make sure those…

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has issued a statement saying Sheriff Alex Villanueva is “deeply disturbed” by news reports that deputies snapped and passed around photos from last month’s helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and eight others. “The Sheriff’s Department is aware of recent media reports…

UPDATED with speech videos, photo gallery: Beyoncé opened the Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s memorial service Monday at Staples Center by singing “XO,” complete with a chorus and multi-piece orchestra for a song she said was Kobe Bryant’s favorite. It kicked off an event heavy on emotion and themes…

As thousands gather in the Staples Center right now for Kobe Bryant's official memorial and an opening song by Beyoncé, the basketball legend and Oscar winner's widow is suing the company that owned the chopper that fatally crashed on January 26. "Defendant Island Express Helicopters authorized, directed and/or…

The public memorial service Monday for Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, is sold out, and those not holding a ticket are being told to stay away from the Staples Center arena where the “Celebration of Life” will be held. But those who didn’t get one of the coveted tickets can…

On the eve of the public memorial for Lakers great Kobe Bryant, new information has emerged about the helicopter pilot who manned the Jan. 26 crash that claimed nine lives. Ara Zobayan, who flew the Bryant helicopter into a hillside last month also violated weather-related flight rules in 2015, the Los Angeles Times…

Turner Sports said its coverage of Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, simulcast live on TNT and TBS from Chicago’s United Center, drew an average of 7.3 million viewers, an 8% increase over last year’s game. That made it the night’s most-watched program on all of cable TV. The annual midseason showcase, capping a full…

Jennifer Hudson turned in an emotional tribute to late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant Sunday at the NBA All-Star Game in Chicago. The award-winning singer and actress sang the classic “For All We Know” just before the game got underway. As images of Bryant and his daughter Gianna played on a screen behind her…

  Grammy winner and actress Queen Latifah performed Stevie Wonder's Love's in Need of Love Today at the National Basketball Assn.’s Saturday Night skills competitions. But she added a rap verse to the song in honor of the late Kobe Bryant, who had four MVP awards at the event and had the MVP trophy renamed in his…

Former President Barack Obama remembered Kobe Bryant and eight others killed in a helicopter crash during a speech at the NBA All-Star Weekend Newsmaker Brunch in Chicago. “That loss is something that I know many are still grappling with,” Obama told attendees Saturday, adding, “particularly Kobe because he was with…

Hall of Famer and TNT’s Inside the NBA co-host Charles Barkley told the Today show that Kobe Bryant’s legal problems in Colorado were part of his legacy and should not be dismissed. Barkley made his remarks as part of a group discussion featuring Barkley’s Inside the NBA co-stars, TNT announcer Ernie Johnson and…