Five years after the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna Bryant, the sports world paid tribute to them.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement on the 5-year anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s passing: “Kobe Bryant continues to serve as an inspiration to aspiring and current NBA and WNBA players, young athletes playing at all levels and those who are motivated solely by his relentless pursuit of excellence.

Five years after NBA great Kobe Bryant, 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in California, several women’s basketball players reflected on what he meant to their game and how he championed it.

A wave of tributes poured in online to commemorate the life of the late Kobe Bryant, whose 2020 death shook the sports world.

Somehow, with all that has happened between that awful moment and now, it remains surreal and hard to believe that it was five years ago today that Kobe Bean Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others,

Even with all of 2020's tragedies, the events of Jan. 26 still devastate. On the anniversary of that horrific crash, we remember Kobe Bryant, daughter Gianna and the other seven souls lost.