On January 26th, Kobe Bryant, one of the greatest NBA players in history, died in a helicopter crash(直升飞机失事) in California, US on that day. The terrible crash also killed his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant and seven other people. Kobe was 41 years old. People were shocked and heartbroken after hearing about Bryant's sudden death.
He was a basketball prodigy(神童) and he joined the NBA straight from high school. He played his whole 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers and helped the team win five NBA championships(冠军). He was fast, skillful and aggressive(有攻击性的)，so people gave him the nickname "Black Mamba" after one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. That's why his competitive idea is known as the "Mamba Mentality"(曼巴精神).
"Mamba mentality is you're going, you're competing, you're not worried about the end result." Bryant said.
The fact that Bryant is no longer with us is sad. We'll never see him play in another game, but we will remember how great he was.
