NBA legend Kobe Bryant, 41, killed in helicopter crash

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who retired in 2016 as a five-time NBA champion and the fourth-leading scorer in league history with 33,643 points, was among five people killed Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. He was 41.

Bryant was said to have been travelling with at least three other people in his private helicopter when a fire broke out. Five people are confirmed dead and the cause of the crash is under investigation.

The city of Calabasas confirmed Bryant's death via Twitter.

An 18-time all-star, Bryant is believed to have used a helicopter for travel for years, dating back to when he played for the Lakers from 1996 to 2016.

Bryant also tops the Lakers in games played (1,346), 3-pointers (1,827), steals (1,944) and free throws (8,378).

WATCH | Kobe Bryant's video tribute from his final game:

He was only the fifth NBA player in league history to playe 20 seasons, and the first with one team.

"He's everything in this city," former Lakers head coach Luke Walton said on Dec. 18, 2017, when the 16-time champions retired Bryant's two jerseys, Nos. 8 and 24. "To play his entire career for one organization, in modern sports, it really doesn't happen very often anymore."

In his final game on April 13, 2016, scored 60 points in a 101-96 victory over the visiting Utah Jazz and rallying the Lakers from a 15-point deficit to win the final game of the worst season in NBA history.

On Saturday night, current Lakers star LeBron James, with a tribute to Bryant written on his Nike shoes — "Mamba 4 Life — scored 29 points in Bryant's native Philadelphia to pass him and move to No. 4 on the NBA's career scoring list.

Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and daughters Gianna, Natalia, Bianca and Capri, who was born last June.