Los Angeles Times Reveals Front Page and Special Section Following Death of Kobe and Gigi Bryant

The sports world -- and, let's be honest, the world at large -- was brought to its knees when news broke in the late morning on the west coast that Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among the victims of a fatal helicopter accident outside of Los Angeles.

Their two losses have been deeply painful and will be felt for a long, long time. Reckoning with a world in which neither of them is around will feel like an impossible task.

That held true for the Los Angeles Times, which ran a series of tributes in its Monday edition, including a special section dedicated to the Mamba and his daughter.

A formal obituary ran in the left column, written by Thomas Curwen and David Wharton, highlighting Kobe's elite-level talent that was matched only by his feveish determination and drive. In the right column sits Richard Winton, Jack Harris, and Joe Mozingo's report on the helicopter crash itself, the details of which are still being investigated.

Perhaps most stirring of all, however, is the special section featuring Gianna Maria Bryant, an up-and-coming basketball phenom with more than a little of her dad's signature flair.

Newspapers all over the world over are paying tribute to Kobe on their front pages today, but there's something singular about the role the LA Times has played in telling the story of the man's professional life dating all the way back to 1996, when a high school kid from Lower Merion found his way to Hollywood.

They may need to print a few extra copies.