Fans, Teammates Honor Kobe Bryant As Investigation Continues Into Helicopter Crash
CHICAGO (CBS)-- The United Center is adorned in the Lakers purple and gold in honor of basketball icon Kobe Bryant.
This tribute, one of several across the world, as an investigation into his tragic death continues.
Bryant was killed along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will be at the crash site in Southern California to begin examining the debris.
The helicopter was traveling to Bryant's sports academy in Thousands Oaks for a basketball tournament.
Other identified victims include Orange Coast College basketball coach John Altobelli, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa as well as the pilot Ara Zobayan.
Giana's teammate Payton Chester and her mother Sarah were also on the chopper along with assistant coach Christina Mauser.
CBS 2 has learned the helicopter that claimed the Laker legend's life was once owned by the state of Illinois.
According to the aircraft database "Helis" the chopper is a twin-engine Sikorsky S-76.
It was bought by the state back in 2007.
The chopper was a $13 million model, once marketed as an executive edition for personal travel.
Here in Illinois, it was used for trips for the governor and other VIPs.
The chopper was eventually sold at a state auction in 2015. The Nike swoosh and Bryant's personal logo was added to the outside.
At the time of that sale, the helicopter's two engines had close to a combined 4,000 hours of airtime.
Investigators will be looking into the helicopter's maintenance records and it's configuration to find out if it should have even been in the air with nine people aboard.
As those questions and others loom, Chicago's getting set to host NBA All Star weekend.
It's then that we will find out if Kobe becomes an NBA hall of famer.
This was his first year of eligibility.
Kobe spent 20 years with the NBA with the Lakers. He played his last game at the United Center in 2016.
The Chicago Bulls are expected to pay tribute to Bryant during Monday night's game.
