Paris, Jan 27 (AFP/APP): Journalists from inside and outside the world of sport lined up to pay tribute to NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist Kobe Bryant after his death in a helicopter crash. US Sports magazine Sports Illustrated ran with a single black and white photo of Bryant in profile and the headline: “Kobe Bryant, 1978-2020”. Below, it posted links to every cover that had featured the star. “How does that happen? Kobe is stronger than any helicopter,” wrote Bill Plaschke in the Los Angeles Times, the newspaper of the city that adored Bryant, who won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. “He didn’t even need a helicopter. For 20 years he flew into greatness while carrying a breathless city with him.” At the other end of the country, the New York Times website carried a lengthy profile of Bryant, hailing his “extraordinary career” as well as mentioning 2003 rape accusations that were levelled against him. Kobe Bryant “personified the modern sports alpha,” wrote Jason Gray in a Wall Street Journal article headlined “What Kobe Bryant Meant”. “On the court, he was the alpha, really-for better, and, sometimes, worse, in greatness and defeat, demanding to put … Continue reading World media reacts to Kobe Bryant’s death