Kobe Bryant was using helicopters to get around Los Angeles because traffic was so bad it was making him miss family time, the basketball legend revealed in a resurfaced interview.
The five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist died alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash during thick fog in California on Sunday morning.
In an interview with Alex Rodriguez and Big Cat in December 2018, Bryant said using the chopper was his solution to being able to attend training as well as spend time with his family.
“I had to figure out a way where I could still train and focus on the craft but still not compromise family time,” he said.
Bryant continued: “Traffic started to get really really bad, I was sitting in traffic and would wind up missing a school play because I was sitting in traffic. This thing just kept mounting.
“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.
“So my routine was always the same. Weights early in the morning, kids to school, fly down, practice like crazy, do my extra work, media, everything I needed to do, fly back, get back in carpool line and pick the kids up.
“My wife was like: ‘Listen, I can pick them up.' And I'm like no no no, I want to do that.
“Because you have road trips and times where you don't see your kids, so every chance I get to see them and spend time with them, even if it's 20 minutes in a car, I want that.”
Sunday’s incident claimed nine lives including baseball coach John Altobelli, 56, his wife Keri and daughter Alyssa - who is believed to be 13 and played for the same basketball team as Bryant's daughter Gianna.
