Kawhi Leonard says he flew with helicopter pilot of Kobe Bryant crash

Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) drives past Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, Jan. 26, 2020. | Reinhold Matay, Associated Press

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard reacted to the death of Kobe Bryant in a recent interview with USA Today

Kawhi Leonard recently detailed how often he flew with Ara Zobayan, the pilot who was flying the helicopter that crashed and tragically killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others, according to USA Today.

What happened: Leonard and fellow Clippers star Paul George told USA Today Wednesday that he knew Bryant’s pilot pretty well.

• Leonard (via USA Today): “Flown with him a lot. Great guy, super nice, he was one of their best pilots. That’s a guy who you ask for to fly you from city to city. It’s just surreal still for me. He’ll drop me off and say he’s about to pick up Kobe. ... He’ll be like, ‘I just dropped Kobe off, he said, Hello’ and vice versa. It’s just a crazy interaction. He’s a good dude. I’m sorry for everybody.”

More reaction: Jared Joachim wrote in a Facebook post Monday that Zobayan was “great” at flying and that he “always remained cool, calm and collected,” according to the New York Post.

• The Facebook post read: “Ara was an incredible pilot, instructor pilot, charter pilot and truly a great man. He was not your typical egotistical helicopter pilot like most of us honestly are.”

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/3b3gTDQ