Kobe Bryant wasn't just a sporting icon but a loving husband and proud father of four daughters

Kobe Bryant was more than a sporting icon - he was a family man and a proud father to four daughters.

On Sunday, the 41-year-old five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist died with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash northwest of Los Angeles.

He was married for 19 years to his wife Vanessa and had four daughters with her, aged 17 years to 7 months old.

Kobe met Vanessa, 37, when she was just 17 years old and still in high school. They were engaged just six months later.

He paid tribute to the love of his life in emotional anniversary post on Instagram two months before his death.

"On this day 20 years ago I met my best friend, my Queen @vanessabryant I decided to take her on a date to Disneyland tonight to celebrate old school style (pre 4princesses)" he wrote.

"I love you my mamacita per sempre."

The pair's marriage had its difficulties, particularly after Kobe was charged in 2003 with the sexual assault of a 19-year-old hotel worker.

He lost lucrative endorsements as a result, although the case was dropped by prosecutors after the accuser refused to testify at the trial.

Bryant later apologised for the incident, saying he believed the encounter was consensual, and a separate civil lawsuit against him was settled privately.

Then in 2011, Vanessa filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences". However, Vanessa cancelled proceedings in 2013 and they welcomed another two daughters in 2016 and 2019.

A proud father, Kobe called his daughter Gianna "Mambacita" after his own court nickname, "Black Mamba," confident she would follow in his footsteps and become a professional basketball player.

Indeed, Bryant and Gianna were killed travelling to his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, where she was undergoing training to be a future sports star.