During his successful basketball career, NBA legend Kobe Bryant adopted the nickname ‘Black Mamba’.
And it was in 2014 when he revealed that the nickname came from Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill.
The name Black Mamba was used as an alias name for a deadly assassin known for aggressiveness and agility – like the movie’s main character.
“I read up on the animal and said, ‘Wow, this is pretty awesome’”, Bryant recalled.
“This is a perfect description of how I would want my game to be.”
LeBron James passed Bryant as the third all-time top scorer in NBA history on Saturday night and paid tribute straight after.
“I’m happy just to be in any conversation with Kobe Bryant,” said James.
“One of the all-time greatest basketball players to ever play, one of the all-time greatest Lakers.
“The man’s got two jerseys hanging up in Staples Center. It’s just crazy.”
Bryant tweeted after the game: “Continuing to move the game forward. Much respect my brother.”
It was later confirmed that Bryant’s daughter Gianna, 13, also perished in the tragic crash.
The City of Calabasas tweeted: “It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of Kobe Bryant and four others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas.
“The aircraft went down in a remote field off Las Virgenes around 10:00 this morning.
“Nobody on the ground was hurt. The FAA and NTSB are investigating.”
