Kobe Bryant: Madrid and Atlético players hold minute silence
Ahead of El Derbi at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, respect was shown by both teams following the recent loss of the basketball star.
On Sunday 26 January 2020 the sporting world and beyond were shocked to learn of the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Ahead of the Madrid derby, the players of Los Blancos and the Rojiblancos lined up on the centre circle to pay their respects.
Madrid derby remembers Kobe
The news broke on Sunday that Bryant's helicopter had gone down in the mountains of Calabasas, California, en route to a basketball game in which his daughter Gianna was playing in. The 13-year old was on board the Sikorsky S-76B and perished along with six other passengers and the pilot.
⚫️🙏 A minute of silence for Kobe and Gianna Bryant and all the victims of the helicopter crash.
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) February 1, 2020
✨Rest in peace.#RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/3jcWN9gGVo
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The basketball star leaves behind his wife Vanessa and three other children, while the tributes flooded in as soon as the news had been confirmed. Kobe had connected with many sports stars during his glittering career and after it, and a number of the footballers involved in the game at the Santiago Bernabéu had been close to him. Madrid captain Sergio Ramos was one of those, and he stared into the sky as the moving tribute was made.
At a training session earlier in the week, the players had also taken a moment to remember their friend.