 studio. You have obviously heard the news by now the death of Kobe Bryant this morning in a helicopter crash in suburban Los Angeles along with his 13-year-old daughter and three others. Frank the suddenness of it absolutely hits you when last night the context we were talking about LeBron passing him on the all-time scoring list and today he's gone. Yeah and LeBron had brought up the fact that it's happening in Philadelphia where Kobe Bryant went to high school lower Marion came into the NBA as a child prodigy essentially and to be leaving us at the age of 41 still so young so much life still ahead of him. Well here's what has currently been reported so far. Kobe was traveling via helicopter to a travel basketball game with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna when the helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California near Los Angeles just after 10 a.m. Pacific time. Also on the helicopter where another child on the team as well as that child's parent the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirming Kobe's death and said there were no survivors. And again it's hard to think Frank of the man in terms of the player and the 20-year-old legend that he became when you look at what's left behind. Yeah and you think about a player like this. I mean first of all it's simply devastating and shocking news really for everyone involved. There are five people who lost their lives including Kobe's daughter and a teammate of hers of two young girls perishing this horrible crash. But I think people need to realize you know Kobe Bryant you know one of the ultimate competitors one of the greatest players you need to understand how beloved of a figure he was in the city of Los Angeles certainly among Laker fans that's about as big as it gets a five-time champion he was loved in that city. Well let's get some thoughts around the NBA were joined by legendary broadcaster Marv Albert and Marv you've called so many of Kobe's games and great moments I just want to get your thoughts on what's transpired today. Well Bob my first reaction as I'm sure you and Frank felt the same thing you hear news like this and it's just it's just so sad and it it brought back memories of talking to Kobe at Staples earlier in his career when he said you know the traffic is just so crazy in LA so I'm going to go by helicopter he lived far out maybe a couple hours out so he was actually flying from helicopter practically every home game at Staples during the course of his 20 year career and as Frank said shocking is is one of the words you use but you just at first you don't believe it you double check it when you when you see it and I'm sure that's what everybody was saying is that true Kobe and his daughter now so it's just a horrible day. Marv this is Frank I solo you've called a lot of games with a lot of great players a lot of those Michael Jordan games when you went in we're going to broadcast the game featuring Kobe Bryant did you always kind of have this feeling I might see something pretty special tonight because Kobe Bryant is playing yes no no question and as you know he was one of those players because of his greatness over his career there would be games where he would not be hitting shots and he'd be 0 for 10 0 for 11 but it didn't matter you know he was going to shoot his way back into it and you just as you said you just didn't know what you would see that that particular night but what I was always so impressed about with Kobe was as highly intensity that he come out with and at first he wasn't a very good defensive player he was strictly offense but he became a good defensive player and he also after having let's say a complicated relationship with his teammate Shaquille O'Neal after that kind of settle down and then when Shaq was traded he became a mentor to so many of the young players on the Lakers so everything seemed to change with Kobe over the years although he kept breaking records along the way with his days you know and also had other interests as you know he even won an Academy Award where he came up with the best animated short film for his dear basketball so this is not just a guy who was playing a sport he had other things going too. Yeah Marv that speaks volumes about him closing the chapter on the NBA and immediately transitioning on to something else and winning that Academy Award it's kind of what we expected from Kobe right that he wasn't just going to be that X player sitting around that he had a lot more things that he wanted to accomplish. Yeah even in talking to him you know over the years you can tell it wasn't although he was so concentrated on basketball he was so intense about it that there were other interests even the fact that he grew up in Italy his dad was Joe Jelly being Brian who played in the NBA for the 76ers and then played overseas Kobe every once in a while would break into fluent Italian you know and how many players can do that aside from the ones who have been playing you know overseas but yeah he had so many interests you could talk to him about a lot of different things he was a different type of guy most unusual to see that from an athlete. Well so many great memories about Kobe Bryant today Marv we thank you for the time and sharing your stories hope to see you soon. OK thanks very much guys. You know Frank I'm listening to Marvin I'm thinking about what he's talking about the effect he had on players when he was young and learning to kind of be a good all around NBA player and then the mentorship that he showed later to players on the Lakers but with his competitive nature and his will to win that had to have a ripple effect across the NBA. It did and you have to remember too with Kobe Bryant you know all of his peers had tremendous respect for him as a player and a competitor. So did the coaches in the NBA. You're going to hear that a little later on. Just you know everybody wanted to coach Kobe Bryant because you knew he was going to play injured. He was going to go out there and compete all the time. He was going to help you win. And you brought up a great point about transitioning into a different part of his life. Last February I got to moderate a Q&A with Kobe Bryant at the NBA store as part of a serious XM NBA radio. And he talked so much about his daughter and her career. And we had that you know the video of him with his daughter Gigi at the Nets game on December 21st and you know you see it now and it's it's beyond where it's just devastating. What did you what was your takeaway from that. Just that you know he was able to understand like I've already lived like this important kind of you know public part of my life where I was a superstar. I'm now going to focus on my kids which all parents should do. And the fact that he was able to do it but still kind of remain this major star and you know and he became a huge advocate by the way for women's sports women's basketball the WNBA. And now this was going to kind of be the next phase of his life. And it's like I said it's just too sad. Yeah the shocking news started coming out shortly before 3 p.m. here on the East Coast and quickly spread from our sports family to the entire world. Not everyone was a Lakers fan but everyone was a Kobe fan a fan of a skill and a fan of his ferocious intensity. Kobe has inspired a generation of NBA players and while his life was cut far too short his legacy will live on for decades to come. Kobe Bryant again was 41 years old. You seriously think they're going to win? Your rug's coming up.