Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa reportedly had a pact not to ride in a helicopter together

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• The late NBA star Kobe Bryant reportedly had a pact with his wife Vanessa that they would never ride in a helicopter together.
• Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, as well as seven other passengers, were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday morning.
• Bryant said in a podcast in 2018 that he began traveling in helicopters so he would have more time to spend with his daughters instead of sitting in LA traffic.
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The late NBA legend Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa had a pact that they would never ride in a helicopter together, a source told People magazine.

Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, as well as seven other passengers, were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday morning.

"He and Vanessa had a deal that they would never fly on a helicopter together," a source told People. The source also added that Bryant would only ride in helicopters piloted by Ara Zobayan, who was among the seven others killed in the crash. It was not immediately made clear why Bryant made the pact with his wife.

Bryant and Gianna are survived by his wife and his three daughters - Natalia, 17; Bianka, 3; and Capri, who was born in June of last year.

Bryant said in a 2018 podcast for Barstool Sports that he began traveling in helicopters so he would have more time to spend with his daughters instead of sitting in Los Angeles traffic.

"Traffic started getting really, really bad, and I was sitting in traffic and I wound up missing like a school play, because I was sitting in traffic," Bryant said during the podcast. "I had to figure out a way where I could still train and focus on the craft but still not compromise family time.

"So that's when I looked into helicopters, to be able to get down and back in 15 minutes and that's when it started," he added.

In the podcast, Bryant elaborated how important family time was to him, even if it was just to drop them off at school.

• Read more:
• Kobe Bryant, 41, dies in helicopter crash in Calabasas, California
• The helicopter that carried Kobe Bryant and 8 others before crashing on a hillside did not have a black box on board, investigators say
• Here are the 9 victims of the Calabasas helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and his daughter

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