Did they possibly charter another copter?
>charter
Kobe Bryant once gave Lakers GM Rob Pelinka the helicopter ride of his life
In a 2009 column by ESPN’s Rick Reilly, Bryant admitted that he liked to charter a chopper to travel the 49 miles from his home to the Staples Center, where the Lakers play.
https://nypost.com/2020/01/26/kobe-bryant-had-a-long-history-of-flying-in-helicopters/
Kobe Bryant and His Helicopter
Kobe Bryant one of the best basketball players ever to grace the NBA has called time on his professional career. As is well known Kobe was a Los Angeles Laker for the entirety of his career. There is one thing that Kobe taught everyone about LA and that is that people like Kobe don’t sit in LA traffic. It is well known that the star point guard used to take a helicopter to all of his home games.
For Kobe, taking a helicopter to work every day was not so much about saving the time but more about preserving his fitness and conditioning for when the game begins. Sitting in a car from his home in Orange County would cause him to seize up therefore simply for performance reasons it made sense for him to fly into Staples Center on an helicopter.
For many A-listers, sports star and businessmen avoiding heavy inner city traffic that plagues cities like Los Angeles and New York City is an essential part of maintaining a productive day. With many landing options in Manhattan and in Downtown, Los Angeles, helicopters are a great option.
It is already well documented that when flying into these big cities many high powered people avoid the big airports like LAX and JFK.
A great option for getting into New York City for high powered people is Teterboro Airport, it has fast access to Manhattan and Brooklyn. When flying into Los Angeles many sports stars and the like make use of Van Nuys Airport. Van Nuys Airport provides fast access to Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles.
The best of these airports is that it offers discreet entry to the metropolis cities. ElJet is the private jet charter company to be in touch with for your Van Nuys and Teterboro travel needs.
https://www.ellejet.com/kobe-bryant-and-his-helicopter/
Kobe Bryant’s helicopter was previously owned by the State of Illinois
The Sikorsky-76 helicopter that crashed Sunday, killing basketball legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter and seven others was previously owned by the State of Illinois, according to online aircraft database Helis.
The helicopter was manufactured in 1991. Records show it was owned by the State of Illinois from 2007 until 2015 when then-Governor Bruce Rauner put the state’s fleet of aircraft up for sale in a cost-saving measure. While it was owned by the state, the luxury helicopter was used for what’s described as “VIP transport” of the governor and others.
When it flew Illinois governors, the helicopter carried the tail number N76ILL. An online database indicates the tail number was changed to N72EX in 2015 when it was purchased by the Island Express Holding Corporation of Van Nuys, California, the holding company of record at the time of the crash. Flight tracking websites show the helicopter received a new paint-job, including the Nike swoosh logo and Kobe Bryant’s signature “sheath” insignia after the 2015 ownership change.
https://wgntv.com/2020/01/26/kobe-bryants-helicopter-was-previously-owned-by-the-state-of-illinois/