The Lakers brought in grief counselors to help cope with the shocking death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, who was among the nine killed Sunday morning in a Southern California helicopter crash.
The counselors are holding one-on-one and group sessions with various employees, ESPN reported Monday. It’s unclear if players were included in these sessions.
Bryant, 41, retired in 2016 after winning five championships in 20 seasons with the Lakers.
While only Dwight Howard of the current Lakers players played alongside Bryant in the NBA, many if not all of them have been touched by the future Hall of Famer.
The team learned about Bryant’s death while traveling to Los Angeles from Bryant’s hometown of Philadelphia, where Lakers superstar LeBron James on Saturday passed Bryant to become the third-highest scorer in NBA history.
“Everyone is in shock,” a team source told ESPN on Sunday.
James, who was close with Bryant, was spotted tearing up and hugging multiple people after finding out about the crash, which also killed Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, as they were traveling to Bryant’s practice facility.
James and Bryant won two gold medals for Team USA at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Lakers guard Quinn Cook, who grew up idolizing Bryant, mourned the death of Bryant outside Staples Center, the team’s home court.
The NBA officially postponed Tuesday’s Lakers-Clippers game on Monday, a “decision was made out of respect for the Lakers organization, which is deeply grieving the tragic loss.”
The date of the makeup game has not been announced. The Lakers are slated to play the Trail Blazers at home on Friday.
The crash occurred in foggy weather and is being investigated by authorities.



