Remembering all 9 victims: Who else was on California helicopter?

Helicopter was en route to a travel basketball tournament

A body is carried from the scene of a helicopter crash that killed former NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant, his daughter and several others in Calabasas, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Kelvin Kuo) (Kelvin Kuo, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A day after a tragic helicopter crash in California, all nine people who died have been identified.

The most famous of those is former NBA great Kobe Bryant, whose death prompted reaction and tributes from celebrities around the world.

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The passengers were on their way to a travel basketball game at the Mamba Sports Academy, co-founded by Bryant, when the helicopter crashed amidst foggy conditions, the AP has reported.

Here is a look at all nine victims.


Kobe Bryant

One of the greatest players in basketball history, Bryant won five NBA championships and was an 18-time All-Star in what will assuredly be a Hall of Fame career playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Bryant had four daughters with his wife, Vanessa.

Gianna Bryant

The second-oldest of Kobe Bryant’s four children, Gianna played on an AAU basketball team coached by her father and had aspirations of becoming a professional basketball player.

Ara Zobayan

The pilot of the helicopter, Zobayan received his commercial pilot certificate in 2007, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Not much has been publicly released on Zobayan as of yet.

Christina Mauser

Mauser was a basketball coach at Harbor Day School in Newport Beach, where Kobe Bryant’s oldest daughter, Natalia, attended. She was an assistant coach for Kobe Bryant’s travel basketball team.

Her husband posted on Facebook: “My kids and I are devastated. We lost our beautiful wife and mom today in a helicopter crash.”

Sarah Chester and Payton Chester

Payton Chester was a teammate of Gianna Bryant’s on the basketball team. Sarah Chester was her mother.

Todd Schmidt, the principal at Harbor View Elementary School in Corona del Mar, California, from where Payton graduated, posted a tribute to the Chesters on Facebook.

John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli and Alyssa Altobelli

Houston mourns former UH assistant coach that died in helicopter crash with Kobe Bryant

John Altobelli was the head baseball coach at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California.

He also was a former assistant coach at the University of Houston and UC Irvine.

Keri Altobelli was John’s wife and the mother of Alyssa, who was a basketball teammate of Gianna Bryant.

The investigation is still ongoing, and we’re still waiting on more information to be released about the victims.


About the Author:

Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.