As noted by The Daily Wire on Monday, reports circulated that NBA legend Kobe Bryant was spotted at his Catholic church the morning of the tragic helicopter accident that claimed his life and eight others, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and two of her teammates.
On Tuesday night, Bryant’s priest, Father Steve Sallot, confirmed the reports. Before 7 a.m., the former Laker stopped at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church, where he and his family frequently worshipped, to pray by himself.
“I saw him yesterday (Sunday) before the 7 a.m. mass,” Father Sallot told CBS2 News. “We chatted for a couple of minutes, and then he moved on, and obviously, he was going to the airport yesterday morning.”
“I can confirm that #KobeBryant, a devout Catholic, came to this church early Sunday morning to worship,” reported KTLA’s Wendy Burch.
“He was here between 6 and 7am…. just hours before the fatal crash,” she added. “He came alone, as I am told he often did. #RIPMamba #KTLAmorningNews.”
I can confirm that #KobeBryant, a devout Catholic, came to this church early Sunday morning to worship. He was here between 6 and 7am…. just hours before the fatal crash. He came alone, as I am told he often did. #RIPMamba #KTLAmorningNews pic.twitter.com/SomluImxp3
— Wendy Burch (@TheWendyBurch) January 28, 2020
“He was quite a man of faith,” Sallot said of Bryant.
“We shook hands, and I saw that he had blessed himself because there was a little holy water on his forehead,” the priest recalled. “So I knew that he’d gone into the chapel to pray and came out and blessed himself. And then we spoke for a minute, shook hands, and then off he went.”
According to Father Sallot, Bryant, who was raised Catholic, was baptized as a child in Italy and was seeking to undergo the sacrament of confirmation.
As noted by CBS2, the priest said Bryant, his wife Vanessa, and their four daughters “were frequent parishioners” at the church.
The basketball star and family man leaned on his faith through major personal stumbles.
Bryant was accused of raping a 19-year-old woman in a Colorado hotel room in 2003. He admitted to cheating on his wife and engaging in the sexual encounter, but has always denied the allegation of rape.
“What I came to understand, coming out of Colorado, is that I had to be me, in the place where I was at that moment,” the NBA legend told GQ in 2015.
“The one thing that really helped me during that process — I’m Catholic, I grew up Catholic, my kids are Catholic — was talking to a priest,” Bryant said.
“It was actually kind of funny: He looks at me and says, ’Did you do it?’ And I say, ’Of course not.’ Then he asks, ’Do you have a good lawyer?’ And I’m like, ’Uh, yeah, he’s phenomenal.’ So then he just said, ’Let it go. Move on. God’s not going to give you anything you can’t handle, and it’s in his hands now. This is something you can’t control. So let it go.’ And that was the turning point,” recalled the hoops star.
In more recent years, Bryant was frequently spotted out with his family. The devoted father even coached his daughter Gianna’s basketball team.
Bryant, Gianna, and seven others were traveling to Bryant’s Mamba Sports Academy for a basketball tournament when the helicopter went down Sunday morning.