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Kobe Bryant passed by his church hours before his death. His priest says that “he was a man of faith '

2020-01-29T18:37:11.560Z


Bryant and his family were regular parishioners of the Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach, California. The former NBA player


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Drone video: this is how Kobe Bryant's helicopter was 0:50

(CNN) - A few hours before Kobe Bryant's life was interrupted in a helicopter accident, the NBA legend went to church and prayed.

Bryant visited the Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach, California, early Sunday morning before the 7 am Mass, according to Father Steve Sallot.

"We shook hands, I saw that he had blessed himself because he had some holy water on his forehead," Sallot told KCBS / KCAL, a CNN affiliate.

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Bryant, 41, and his family were regulars at the Newport Beach church, prayed together with hundreds of other parishioners during Mass and never tried to get attention.

He didn't talk much about his faith but "he was certainly a man of faith," Sallot recalled.

  • Look: Bryant's career in photos

1 of 25 | Kobe Bryant finished his 20-year career in the NBA on April 13. Here, the Los Angeles Lakers player in action against Utah Jazz during their last game.

2 of 25 | Bryant dives in front of Grant Hill, No. 33, and Marcin Gortat, No. 4, of the Phoenix Suns, at the Staples Center, on January 10, 2012, in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 99-83.

3 of 25 | Bryant at stake against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 28, 2015. That November, Bryant announced his intention to retire at the end of the NBA season.

4 of 25 | Bryant was injured while playing against the Golden State Warriors on April 12, 2013. The injury took him out of the rest of the 2012-2013 season.

5 of 25 | Bryant collides with Argentine player Leonardo Gutierrez during the preliminary round of US men's basketball. at the London Olympics on August 6, 2012.

6 of 25 | The former lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, hugs Bryant after the United States game against France, at the Olympic Games on July 29, 2012.

7 of 25 | Bryant dives in front of Grant Hill, No. 33, and Marcin Gortat, No. 4, of the Phoenix Suns, at the Staples Center, on January 10, 2012, in Los Angeles. The Lakers won 99-83.

8 of 25 | Bryant jumps and hits the third quarter against the New Orleans Hornets, in the fifth game of the Western Conference quarter-finals, in the 2011 NBA playoffs, on April 26, 2011, at the Staples Center.

9 of 25 | Bryant joins a fan training session during a South Korean promotional tour at the University of Korea on July 14, 2011 in Seoul.

10 of 25 | The president of the United States then, Barack Obama, talks with Bryant at a Boys and Girls Club in Washington on December 13, 2010. Obama welcomed the Lakers to honor his 2009-2010 season and his second consecutive NBA championship. .

11 of 25 | Bryant celebrates after winning the 2010 NBA Finals championship in June of that year.

12 of 25 | Bryant shoots Carmelo Anthony, No. 15 of the Denver Nuggets, in one of the Western Conference Finals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Staples Center on May 19, 2009. The Lakers defeated the Nuggets 105 -103.

13 of 25 | Bryant celebrates after the fifth game of the NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic at Amway Arena on June 14, 2009, in Orlando. The Lakers won 99-86 to conquer their 15th and first title since 2002. Bryant scored 30 points, won 8 rebounds and had 6 assists while the Lakers completed a four-game victory to one in the best of the final seven of the NBA

14 of 25 | Bryant holds his daughter, Gianna, after the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the NBA Finals on June 14, 2009.

15 of 25 | part of the musician Stevie Wonder during the 2009 ESPY Awards held at the Nokia Theater LA Live on July 15, 2009, in Los Angeles.

16 of 25 | Bryant has fun with Jonathan Guerrero, 4, and his father, David Guerrero of Pomona, California, at Disneyland on June 18, 2009, in Anaheim, California. The Warriors were among the thousands of Lakers fans who attended a special Disneyland parade in honor of the 15th Lakers World Championship.

17 of 25 | Bryant (above) and New Jersey Nets player Kerry Kittles fight for a rebound in a game on April 3, 2002, at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

18 of 25 | Bryant appears on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," at NBC Studios on June 28, 2001, in Burbank, California.

19 of 25 | Vlade Divac, No. 21 of the Sacramento Kings, jumps for the ball against Bryant during the fourth game of the Western Conference Semifinals at the Arco Arena on May 13, 2001, in Sacramento, California.

20 of 25 | Bryant enters to do a slam dunk against the New Jersey Nets in January 2001.

21 of 25 | Bryant hugs his fiancee, Vanessa Laine, while in the locker room after the Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers in the sixth game of the 2000 NBA Finals to win the 4-2 series on June 19, 2000, in Los Angeles. Bryant then married Laine, and they have two children.

22 of 25 | Bryant is contained by teammate Ron Harper, left, and assistant coach Jim Cleamons after a confrontation with New York Knicks guard Chris Childs on April 2, 2000, at the Staples Center. Both players were ejected and the Lakers defeated the Knicks 106-82.

23 of 25 | Lakers player Shaquille O'Neal, right, hugs his teammate Bryant on June 14, 2000, after the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers in game four of the NBA Finals in Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Lakers won the game 120-118 to take a 3-1 lead in the seven game series.

24 of 25 | Bryant sits on the sidelines during Euro ABC in Berlin on July 7, 1999.

25 of 25 | Bryant makes a maneuver during the NBA Slam Dunk contest on February 8, 1997, at the Cleveland Gund Arena. Bryant is the youngest player to win the contest.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Bishop Timothy Freyer of the Diocese of Orange described Bryant as a "committed Catholic who loved his family and loved his faith."

“Kobe, a former resident and parishioner of Orange County in our diocese, frequently attended Mass and sat in the back of the church so that his presence would not distract people from focusing on the presence of Christ,” The bishop said in the publication.

It was minutes before Sunday's first mass, when Sallot met Bryant. He had visited the prayer chapel and was leaving when he spoke briefly with his priest.

"I was entering through the same door when he was leaving," Sallot said, adding that they talked about how Bryant wanted to receive the Catholic sacrament of confirmation someday.

Hours later, Bryant, his daughter Gianna, 13, and another 6 passengers died when a helicopter crashed in Calabasas, California. The pilot also died in the accident.

The helicopter crew was heading to a basketball game at Thousand Oaks, where the former NBA player was expected to train and his daughter to play.

- Darran Simon of CNN contributed to this report.

Kobe Bryant

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2020-01-29

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