Ara Zobayan was the pilot of the Sikorsky S-76B that crashed on Sunday afternoon. He was among the nine victims who lost their lives in the aviation tragedy that included NBA icon Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
Apparently, according to Chris Haynes, Zobayan was also the pilot for Clippers star Kawhi Leonard.
Here is Yahoo! Sports’ exclusive on the pilot:
From @ChrisBHaynes:
More information on Kobe Bryant's pilot, Ara Zobayan, and the friendship between Kobe and Kawhi Leonard. pic.twitter.com/N8LGbUqTlF
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 29, 2020
Long story short, Haynes goes out of his way to detail how experienced and knowledgeable Zobayan was about air travel. He was someone who knew what he was doing and the crash really was just an unfortunate situation.
As for Kawhi, Haynes notes his relationship to Kobe as being “extremely close.” It’s likely the reason why they shared the same pilot and why he was so shaken up about his death.
After Sunday’s win over the Orlando Magic, Leonard spoke more about his relationship with the 5x Champion:
“Knowing him personally, I know he’d want me to come out here and try to ball and still just be great. Words can’t explain his impact he had on this floor. We’re a team from L.A. So we know L.A.’s history with him, and it’s just sad,” Kawhi Leonard said of Kobe Bryant.
Kawhi played for Kobe today: “Knowing him personally, I know he’d want me to come out here and try to ball and still just be great … Words can't explain his impact he had on this floor." https://t.co/NAks6AMe29
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 27, 2020
The loss of a legend really rings home this truth: nobody is immune to the dangers of air travel. And even the most trusted experts can fall victim to flying accidents.
Kawhi, among others, is one of many who have been reminded of this recently.
