Patrick Mahomes, other Chiefs join KC celebrities past and present in mourning Kobe
Current and former Chiefs and Royals and other personalities associated with Kansas City joined mourners around the world in grieving the death Sunday of basketball icon Kobe Bryant in a Southern California helicopter crash.
Kansas City hasn’t been an “NBA city” since the Kings bugged out for Sacramento in the mid-1980s, but Bryant — one of the few global personalities who’s long been recognizable by first name only — transcended basketball courts or sports in general.
Here’s a sampling of what folks with KC connections were saying after the NBA and L.A. Lakers legend and 41-year-old father of four was killed Sunday morning, along with one of his daughters, Gianna, 13, near Calabasas, Calif.
Patrick Mahomes, the NFL MVP whose Chiefs landed in Miami Sunday afternoon ahead of Super Bowl LIV, was among those who extended shock and sympathy.
Safety Tyrann Mathieu shared this after the Chiefs’ plane touched down in Miami:
Defensive end Frank Clark said he was devastated by the news:
Rookie Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman and running back Darwin Thompson tweeted the following:
Former Chiefs coach Herm Edwards, now coaching Arizona State, said this:
Royals outfielder Jorge Soler, the reigning American League home run champ, tweeted RIP:
Former Royals Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer did, too.
Royals up-and-comers were also saddened by the passing of Bryant, posting tweets like these:
The Royals’ fantasy camp opened Sunday with a moment of silence for Bryant and former Royals owner David Glass, who also died recently:
KU hoops player Silvio de Sousa said this:
Former KU star Danny Manning weighed in:
Former Mizzou star and current WNBA player Sophie Cunningham said this:
Michael Jordan, Kobe’s superstar predecessor who once played NBA games at Kemper Arena, retweeted this from Nike:
Kansas City’s mayor tweeted the following:
Nick Wright, a Kansas City native and former 610-AM sports-talk radio host now working nationally for Fox Sports, said this:
Fred Hoiberg, not a Kansas Citian but known well here for his years coaching Iowa State’s basketball team at many Big 12 tournaments, tweeted the following:
Former KC Star sportswriter Alex Schiffer, now covering the Nets for The Athletic, tweeted this from Sunday’s Nets-Knicks game:
And comedian Rob Riggle tweeted about Bryant’s untimely death after landing on a flight to New York:
This story was originally published January 26, 2020 at 4:27 PM.