The BBC in England showed video of LeBron James while announcing the death of Kobe Bryant on January 26 in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Kobe Bryant was 41 years old.
On the morning of January 26, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, 13, friend John Altobelli and six other unnamed people were killed in a horrific crash.
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The Guardian’s deputy news editor Ed Aarons said of the BBC’s apparent error, “Can’t believe BBC News just played clips of Lebron James during the Kobe Bryant report….” While another person, Jax Taylor, wrote, “F*** the BBC. How can they put Lebron James instead of Kobe Bryant.”
During the tribute, the narrator mentioned that Kobe’s career had been “cut short.” During his career, Kobe played for 20 seasons, having first been drafted in 1996 and retiring in 2016.
Reporter Richard Lewis tweeted about the BBC, “A tribute to Kobe Bryant from the BBC used footage of Lebron James because fuck checking the name on the back of a jersey. All the bull**** I’ve seen today is why I am utterly ashamed of my profession. There are no standards anymore.”
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, ESPN reported that former Los Angeles Lakers player Rick Fox had also been killed. Fox’s representative confirmed to Heavy.com that the retired forward was not on board.
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