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Tiger Woods has led the tributes from the golf community for basketball icon Kobe Bryant who was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday.
LA Lakers legend Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people killed in the accident in the city of Calabasas, California.
Woods was informed of the news by his caddie, Joe LaCava, after completing the final round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. He and Bryant had been close friends for a number of years.
“Life is very fragile as we all know,” said the 15-time major winner. “You can be gone at any given time and we have to appreciate the moments that we have. I just can’t imagine what his family’s going through right now.”
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Woods added that he couldn’t understand why fans had been cheering on the back nine for him to ‘Do it for Mamba’, Bryant’s nickname.
“He played both ends of the court,” added Tiger. “There are maybe two guys, three guys in the entire NBA history that you can say that about. He was up for that challenge. One of the more impressive things that I’ve ever witnessed is when he ruptured his Achilles and he went to the foul line, made his shots. Ultimate toughness, ultimate competitor, and one of the most shocking, tragic days that I’ve ever been a part of in a very quick span here.”
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Woods was one of many tour pros to pay their respects to the five-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP…
Kobe Bryant was my HERO growing up. Even to this day he was an inspiration to the way I approached things. I woke up every day and saw this quote every time I opened my phone. His mentality motivated me not only in hard times but throughout my whole life. RIP, Kobe. pic.twitter.com/VtoYenQaYt
— Brooks Koepka (@BKoepka) January 26, 2020
Can’t get this video out of my head. Of all the things I loved Kobe for, this one is just so cool to me. I have no words other than RIP to somebody I loved and wanted to be like when it was game time. #24 #8 #MambaMentality https://t.co/6bs1Wq4Xro
— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) January 26, 2020
Mourning with the rest of the world the tragic loss of the legend Kobe,his daughter Gianna, and all of the other passengers. This is just devastating and there are no words to describe the sadness and loss we are all feeling. We are so so sorry.
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) January 27, 2020
Love basketball. Even bigger fan of excellence. @kobebryant embodied excellence. Legendary talent; inspirational athlete; great role model; American icon loved globally. Sports lost a tremendous friend but don’t have to be sports fan for your heart to hurt. Just have to be human!
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) January 27, 2020
Love basketball. Even bigger fan of excellence. @kobebryant embodied excellence. Legendary talent; inspirational athlete; great role model; American icon loved globally. Sports lost a tremendous friend but don’t have to be sports fan for your heart to hurt. Just have to be human!
— Jack Nicklaus (@jacknicklaus) January 27, 2020
Hard to believe. RIP #KobeBryant #MambaMentality
— Bryson DeChambeau (@b_dechambeau) January 26, 2020
So shocked and heart broken. Thoughts and prayers go out to the Bryant family. The world of sports lost a legend. Just speechless. #RIPKobe
— Dustin Johnson (@DJohnsonPGA) January 27, 2020
Rory McIlroy, meantime, described the news as “horrific”.
“I grew up idolising him,” said the world No.2. “The first basketball team I really followed were the Lakers. He and Shaq [Shaquille O’Neal] played the Pacers I think it was 2000 Finals, that was sort of when I got into basketball. He was a pure master of what he did. It’s just so sad.”
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