Vanessa Bryant has made her first public comment since the helicopter crash that killed her husband and former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant, one of their daughters and seven others, taking to Instagram to thank people for the global outpouring of support since the tragedy.
She also announced on Wednesday the formation of a fund to help support the other families that were affected by the crash.
“Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them,” Ms Bryant wrote.
Notably, Los Angeles Lakers icon and five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant died Sunday in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Bryant and his daughter were heading to Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, for a youth basketball event.
The helicopter carrying Bryant and eight others was given special permission to fly despite foggy conditions, according to a report. Due to the inclement weather, the chopper was flying quite low, “At one point, an air traffic controller informed the pilot, “You’re still too low for flight following at this time,” meaning the chopper wasn’t flying high enough to register on radar.