We are closing this blog for the time being. Thanks for reading. Our full story on the death of Kobe Bryant is here:

Related: Kobe Bryant: NBA legend dies in helicopter crash at age of 41

Kobe Bryant was apparently named after famous wagyu beef from the ancient Japanese city of Kobe. Mainichi, a Japanese newspaper, carried this statement from Tetsunori Tanimoto, secretary general of the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association:

We are shocked and saddened to hear of his sudden death and would like to offer our condolences.

“(Bryant) starred in the NBA and the Olympics and we are very grateful that he helped spread the name ‘Kobe beef’ the world over.”

Kobe Bryant’s death has devastated his fans in the Philippines. Unlike many Asian countries, which are obsessed with football, basketball is the favourite sport in the former US colony, where there is a basketball court in every block.

Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao, a world boxing icon, posted a photo of him with Bryant on his Twitter account. “The world lost a legend today but the impact and legacy he leaves behind will last forever! #RIPMamba,” Pacquiao wrote.

The death of the basketball legend was the banner headline on many news websites in the Philippines. Bryant visited the nation often, where he played exhibition games with local basketball superstars, college players, and even street kids. His last visit was in 2016, months after he retired.

A spokesperson for President Rodrigo Duterte issued a statement: “The Office of the President is saddened after learning about the tragic news of the death of NBA superstar and legend, Kobe Bryant, and his daughter, who were killed in a helicopter crash. Mr. Bryant was a frequent visitor in the Philippines. He was well-loved by his Filipino fans.”

In China, where Bryant had a huge following, there has been an outpouring of grief. A hashtag referring to his death became the most read, with more than 1.7bn views on Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent.

Yi Jianlian, the all-time leading scorer of the Chinese Basketball Association who used to play in the NBA, said: “We both suffered a fractured finger. I rested for a month and a half, and you did not rest for a single day. Since then I learned from you what persistence meant.”

“I watched you challenge Michael Jordan at the 1998 All-Star and fell in love with you. You were the reason that I became fond of basketball!” Xinjiang Flying Tiger player Zeng Lingxu posted.

“For 20 years, you had always been my inspiration … I hope your dear basketball will keep you accompany in the paradise. R.I.P. my idol for life.”

Many winners at the Grammys have paid tribute to Kobe Bryant on Sunday night. Adrian Horton has a write up of the night:

The shadow of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others mere hours before the show, loomed large over a ceremony held at the Staples Center in which he played for the Los Angeles Lakers for over 20 years.

“We’re all feeling crazy sadness right now,” said returning host Alicia Keys to a room in which Bryant’s retired jersey numbers shone brightly overhead. “We’re literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built.”

Related: Grammy awards 2020: Billie Eilish wins big, Kobe Bryant tributes pour in

Gianna Bryant – who shared a passion for basketball with her father – dreamed of following in Kobe’s footsteps and one day becoming a professional basketball player and playing in the WNBL. On Sunday those dreams were shattered. Read more here:

Related: Gianna Bryant: Kobe’s daughter shared his passion for basketball

Bryant’s career was synonymous with standout moments, from the 81 point-haul against Toronto in 2006 to the 60 he dropped in his final game in 2016, via far too many more to mention. Do you have a favourite? Let us know, by using the form in the article below.

Related: Tell us about your favourite Kobe Bryant moment

Here’s a few to get things going:

The tributes continue to pour in for Bryant and his family. At the Grammys, being held at Staples Center in LA – the Lakers’ home stadium and where Bryant spent the large majority of his career – global pop sensation Lizzo had this message:

On the east coast, newspapers are sharing a preview of the front and sports pages that readers will find on the news stands on Monday.

And here is some fascinating trivia from back when Bryant retired from the sport.

Dwayne Wade, one of the first basketball stars to react to the news – with a tweet simply saying “No, God please No!” – has taken to Instagram to share his grief.

“Today is one of the saddest days in my lifetime,” an emotional Wade says on his Instagram story.

“If you got the chance to really know Kobe, there ain’t nobody better, man …These are the moments when you ask why.”

Wiping away tears, Wade says that when Bryant retired, he “left a hole in my wanting to play”. “When I came in the league I chased him … I wanted to be respected by him.”

“Kobe, thank you, man. Thank you for all the memories.”

The Los Angeles Police Department has said the weather conditions on Sunday morning did not meet its minimum standards for flying, multiple outlets have reported.

A Los Angeles Police Department spokesman, Josh Rubenstein, told the LA Times that it had grounded its helicopters Sunday morning as a result of fog. They did not fly until the afternoon.

“The weather situation did not meet our minimum standards for flying,” Rubenstein said.

The Australian actor Hugh Jackman says he’s “deeply saddened” by Bryant’s death, crediting the former Lakers shooting guard and Shaquille O’Neal as the reason he fell in love with basketball.

The Los Angeles International Airport has paid tribute to Bryant by illuminating the building in yellow and purple.

Hi everyone, this is Luke Henriques-Gomes taking over for a while.

We mentioned earlier that Sunday’s Pro Bowl game some fans could be heard chanting Kobe Bryant’s name. Here’s what that sounded like.

Bryant’s former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, played last night in Philadelphia, where Bryant was born and went to high school. The Lakers most famous current player, LeBron James, passed Bryant as the NBA’s third-highest all-time scorer in that game and he was seen in tears after the Lakers’ flight touched down in California earlier today. James has yet to make a public comment on Sunday’s tragedy but he wore sneakers referencing Bryant’s nickname, Black Mamba, during the game in Philadelphia. He also spoke of his admiration for Bryant after passing him on the scoring list.

“Just admiring him for so many years and seeing him from afar, and then being able to be in practices with him, and me watching and learning — it’s just too much. The story is just too much. It doesn’t make sense,” James said. “And just to make a long story short, now I’m here in a Lakers uniform in Philadelphia, where he’s from, where the first time I ever met him he gave me his shoes, it’s just surreal.”

Sabrina Ionescu, the best player in women’s college basketball and a future international star, was a close friend of Bryant, who had helped mentor her. She learned of Bryant’s death before Sunday’s game, in which she helped Oregon beat their rivals Oregon State, but insisted on playing.

“Everything I do, I do it for him,” Ionescu, who was seen fighting back tears at one point, told ESPN. “[He was a] really close friend. And this season’s for him.”

Ionescu also knew Bryant’s daughter, Gianna, who died in Sunday’s crash. “It’s like losing a family member [for Ionescu],” Oregon coach Kelly Graves said.

And what of that farewell game? Bryant didn’t disappoint in a performance that featured everything that was glorious (and maddening) about No24. At the time Dave Schilling attempted to get to grips with why LA was so in love with him.

Related: Kobe Bryant and Los Angeles move on after one final night of magic | Dave Schilling

Bryant retired from the NBA in April 2016, after five championships and countless brilliant plays. Here are some of the best moments of his career to savour:

Related: Kobe Bryant: eight classic moments you may have missed

Like so many others the world over, Ben Simmons found Bryant an inspiration as a young basketballer. In a series of tweets, the Philadelphia 76ers player spoke of his admiration for Byrant, who was and “will continue to be an inspiration to this world”.

Barack Obama, the former President of the United States and a basketball enthusiast, tweeted earlier of his heartbreak at the news.

Donald Trump followed suit some time later, as did another former president, Bill Clinton.

The New York Times reports that Bryant was on his way to his Mamba Sports Academy to coach his daughter when they died in the crash. The Academy was hosting a tournament for young players on Sunday, and all games were cancelled when news of his death emerged.

Another victim of Sunday’s crash was John Altobelli, a baseball coach at Orange Coast College in California, where he had worked for 27 years. His family confirmed that two other relatives, Keri and Alyssa Altobelli, had died in the crash.

“John meant so much to not only Orange Coast College, but to baseball,” said the college’s athletic director Jason Kehler. “He truly personified what it means to be a baseball coach. The passion that he put into the game, but more importantly his athletes, was second to none – he treated them like family. Our deepest condolences go out to the Altobelli family during this time of tragedy.”

He also helped develop Jeff McNeil, an All-Star for the New York Mets. McNeil emerged as a top-rank player relatively late in his career, and credited Altobelli’s influence when he spoke to ESPN on Sunday. “Him taking that chance on me, having me on his team, got me drafted,” said McNeil.

Bryant was one of the greatest players of all time, and he looked horns with one of the greatest coaches of all time, Gregg Popovich many times when the Lakers met the Spurs. Popovich always has something interesting and insightful to say about the game, and the wider world beyond, and he spoke powerfully about Bryant before the Spurs’ game with the Raptors on Sunday.

“Everybody is pretty emotional about the tragedy with Kobe,” he said. “All of us know what a great player he was, but he went beyond great playing, he was a competitor, that goes unmatched. It’s what made him as a player so attractive to everybody, that focus, that competitiveness, that will to win. And even more importantly than that, we all feel a deep sense of loss for what he meant to all of us in so many ways and so many millions of people loved him for so many different reasons. It’s just a tragic thing. There are no words that can describe how everybody feels about it. We are all thinking about the family and the process that they’re going to be going through now. That’s where all our thoughts should be.”

Kobe Bryant was (and is) the fourth-highest points scorer in NBA history. The highest is his fellow Laker, and Guardian columnist, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He recorded some of his thoughts on Bryant, and their relationship in a video on Twitter on Sunday.

Bryant was an intense, driven player who was almost unstoppable when he was on a scoring tear. Here’s a look back at some of the highlights from an extraordinary 20-year career that took in five NBA championships and two Olympic gold medals.

The BBC has apologised after mistakenly showing footage of LeBron James rather than Kobe Bryant in a report on the latter player’s death. The BBC blamed “human error” for the mistake.

“In tonight’s coverage of the death of Kobe Bryant on BBCNewsTen we mistakenly used pictures of LeBron James in one section of the report,” wrote Paul Royall, editor of BBC News at Six and Ten, on Twitter. “We apologise for this human error which fell below our usual standards on the programme.”

Related: Kobe Bryant: BBC apologises for using footage of LeBron James

Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who also died in Sunday’s crash was a talented basketball player who dreamed of one day playing in the WNBA. She was often seen with her father at games. In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Bryant spoke about how Gianna shared his fierce drive and love for the game. When someone said he should have had a son to carry on his basketball legacy, Gianna spoke up: “She’s like, ‘Oy. I got this.’ I’m like, ‘That’s right. Yes, you do. You got this,’” Bryant recalled.

The Grammys are taking place today at the Staples Center, where Bryant enjoyed some of his greatest games as a Laker. The ceremony was stopped for a minute’s silence to remember him.

Bryant lived in Italy between the ages of six and 13, while his father, Joe, played professionally there. He could speak Italian fluently, nearly returned to play there during the NBA lockout in 2011 and was a huge fan of AC Milan.

“All of the NBA players are important, because they’re legends, but he’s particularly important to us because he knew Italy so well, having lived in several cities here,” Italian basketball federation president Giovanni Petrucci told The Associated Press on Sunday. “He had a lot of Italian qualities. He spoke Italian very well. He even knew the local slang”, Petrucci added.

Milan also tweeted out a tribute to Bryant. “We have no words to express how shocked we are to hear of the tragic passing of one of the greatest sportsmen of all time and Rossonero fan, Kobe Bryant. All our thoughts are with the families of those affected by this tragic accident. You will forever be missed, Kobe.”

Sam Levin spoke to fans gathering at the Staples Center on Sunday, one man described the city as “bleeding” after his death, while others paid tribute to Bryant’s daughter, Gigi:

Related: ‘The city is bleeding’: LA Lakers fans gather to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant

The French sports newspaper, L’Equipe, has dedicated its front page to Bryant, describing him as “L’Etoile Bryant”, a play on words on “étoile brillante” or “bright star”.

Bryant was a huge supporter of women’s basketball after his retirement. South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley spoke about his achievements following her team’s game against Georgia today.

“Awful. Words can’t describe it,” Staley told the SEC Network. “You see Kobe supporting girls basketball, women’s basketball. He pretty much dedicated his post-career to his daughters. It’s a shame we lose such a great person. It’s tragic. I’m still in a state of shock. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family.”

Tiger Woods, a lifetime LA Lakers fan, said he was “incredibly sad” to learn of Bryant’s death, just moments after he left the 18th green at the US PGA tournament at Torrey Pines he is currently playing in.

Bryant’s interest and promotion of women’s soccer was well documented. The USWNT said it will carry the “Mamba Mentality forever”.

The Brazilian soccer star Neymar celebrated his goal for Paris Saint Germain on Sunday with a nod to Bryant. After he scored his second goal of the game against Lille, he flashed up a two and a four with his fingers, a reference to Bryant’s No24 jersey, then pointed his fingers to the sky.

One of Bryant’s fellow Los Angeles Lakers greats, Magic Johnson, has given his thoughts on today’s news.

“My friend, a legend, husband, father, son, brother, Oscar winner and greatest Laker of all-time is gone,” he wrote on Twitter. “It’s hard to accept. Kobe was a leader of our game, a mentor to both male and female players.”

The Los Angeles County fire chief, Daryl Osby, is giving details of the crash at a press conference.

“Our firefighters on the scene indicate that there was a debris field and steep terrain with a quarter acre brush fire that was occurring at the time. Our firefighters hiked into the site with medical equipment and hose lines to extinguish the fire as it included the brush fire debris from the helicopter and the fire also included magnesium which is very hard for firefighters to extinguish because magnesium reacts with oxygen and water.

“In addition to our firefighters hiking into the incident, we had one helicopter flying to the incident with firefighting paramedics on board. Those paramedics were hoisted down to the incident early into the incident.

“They did a search of the area for survivors. Unfortunately all the survivors were determined to have perished. Firefighters and hand crews worked to extinguish the fire while carefully preserving the incident for investigation. Currently, the investigation is still ongoing.”

The NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, has paid tribute to Bryant.

“The NBA family is devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna,” he said in a statement.

“For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning. He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are legendary: five NBA championships, an NBA MVP award, 18 NBA All-Star selections, and two Olympic gold medals. But he will be remembered most for inspiring people around the world to pick up a basketball and compete to the very best of their ability. He was generous with the wisdom he acquired and saw it as his mission to share it with future generations of players, taking special delight in passing down his love of the game to Gianna.

“We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife, Vanessa, and their family, the Lakers organization and the entire sports world.”

Our reporter Sam Levin has spoken to fans gathering at the Staples Center, where Bryant enjoyed countless brilliant moments during his career with the Lakers.

“He was like a family member in our household,” said Jerson Castillo,
41, in tears as he talked about Bryant. “I kept praying it was all fake news. I’m not going to be able to accept this for a long time.”

Edgar Ruiz had worked in security at the arena, and said he had met Bryant on a number of occasions through his job.

“The city is bleeding right now,” said Ruiz. “I always felt the energy when he was in the building. That was my idol. Fans were inspired by his work ethic … it’s hard to take in because he had such a big impact in our community, he did so many great things in LA.”

Bryant was always kind to everyone at Staples, including janitors baristas and security workers, he added: “He would say hi to everyone He really was a person for the people.”

News of Bryant’s death touched the rest of the sports world away from the NBA. At Sunday’s Pro Bowl game, where the best players in the NFL gathered before next week’s Super Bowl, some fans could be heard chanting Kobe Bryant’s name:

A minute’s silence was held at the first NBA game to be played after Bryant’s death, the match-up between the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets on Sunday afternoon. The Lakers, the team for which Bryant played for his entire career, next play on Tuesday. That game will be at their home court, the Staples Center, against cross-city rivals, the Clippers.