The global sports community paused to honour NBA legend Kobe Bryant on the sixth anniversary of his tragic death, reflecting on a legacy that continues to shape basketball, women’s sports, and popular culture worldwide.

Bryant, 41, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others were killed on January 26, 2020, when their helicopter crashed into a mountainside in Calabasas, California, amid heavy fog.

They were travelling to a youth basketball tournament at the Mamba Sports Academy when the accident occurred.

Six years later, the basketball community still remembers the pitch star.

6 years and it still hurts ?

We miss you Kobe and Gigi pic.twitter.com/s4GIA0yJFL

— Kobe Bryant Stories & Motivation (@kobehighlight) January 26, 2026

Online basketball fans have honoured Bryant’s unmatched work ethic and celebrated the “Mamba Mentality.”

“Kobe Bryant died six years ago today. I always liked him. That was the last gasp of the world as we knew it: pre-pandemic, pre-crypto, pre-zoomer brainrot, pre-drone warfare, pre-AI takeoff. Six years! Time sure does fly by, doesn’t it?” a netizen, Indian Bronson wrote.

Beyond the NBA, global leaders and cultural icons remembered Bryant as more than a basketball superstar.

After retiring from the NBA in 2016 following a 20-year career with the Lakers, Bryant devoted much of his time to mentoring young athletes, particularly in the women’s game.

He worked closely with WNBA stars including Diana Taurasi, Sabrina Ionescu, and Dearica Hamby, analysing their games and encouraging them to reach new levels of confidence and visibility.

Hamby, now with the Los Angeles Sparks, often recalled Bryant’s belief in her defensive abilities, saying his encouragement reshaped how she saw herself as a player. 

Gianna Bryant, who shared her father’s passion for basketball, was widely viewed as poised to carry forward his legacy.

She was a rising talent with aspirations to play for the University of Connecticut and eventually the WNBA.

Images of Kobe and Gianna sitting courtside at NBA and women’s college games remain enduring symbols of his commitment to the sport’s future.

Investigations into the fatal crash later revealed that the helicopter’s pilot became spatially disoriented in poor weather, resulting in a controlled flight into terrain.

All nine people on board were killed.

Currently, Kobe Bryant’s influence remains deeply woven into the fabric of sports.