Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who died Sunday, was a fan of using helicopters to beat the traffic in Los Angeles, but his wife Vanessa didn't share the same enthusiasm.
People magazine reports the couple "made a point not to fly together. 'He and Vanessa had a deal that they would never fly on a helicopter together,' a source tells PEOPLE of the couple, who tied the knot in 2001."
People magazine also reports Bryant "'only' flew in helicopters with pilot Ara Zobayan, who was among those killed in the crash."
However the Boston Globe reports that a pilot named Kurt Deetz said he had flown "for Bryant dozens of times in the same chopper that went down."
As for why Bryant started using helicopters as his preferred mode of transportation, there's a simple explanation for that.
According to the New York Post, Bryant said in 2018 he wanted to avoid sitting in the notoriously horrible Los Angeles traffic.
"Traffic started getting really, really bad," Bryant said on the Barstool Sports podcast "The Corp."
"And I was sitting in traffic and I wound up missing like a school play, because I was sitting in traffic. … I had to figure out a way where I could still train and focus on the craft but still not compromise family time."
The 41-year-old Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among the nine people who died on Sunday in a helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles.
Bryant leaves behind his wife Vanessa and three daughters: 17-year-old Natalia, three-year-old Bianka, and Capri, who was born 7 months ago.
Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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