Kawhi Leonard Confirms He Flew Regularly With Kobe Bryant's Pilot

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Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Los Angeles Clippers looks on prior to a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Staples Center on January 14, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.

Kawhi Leonard speaks on his relationship with Ara Zobayan.

There have been a lot of details and even more questions surrounding the crash that claimed the lives of nine people including Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. The death of Kobe has impacted far past just basketball and the city of Los Angeles. Fans across the world have been mourning the death of the Lakers legend. 

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The investigations surrounding the crash have revealed a few details surrounding what went wrong. Ara Zobayan, the pilot on the helicopter that day, was well-known among the celebrity network in Los Angeles. Kylie Jenner revealed that she flew on the helicopter and knew Zobayan well. It appears that Kawhi Leonard was also a frequent flyer on the helicopter. Reports emerged earlier today that he flew regularly on the chopper. 

"Yeah, flown with him a lot," Kawhi confirmed during an interview. "Great guy, super-nice. He was one of the best pilots, one of those guys that you ask for to fly you from city to city."

Kawhi also said that whenever he'd get picked up, Zobayan would always make a concerted effort to pass along friendly messages from Kobe. 

Kawhi also discussed whether this incident would impact whether he'd continue to fly on helicopters. At this point, with the lack of information that he has, Kawhi said that he didn't know whether that would be the case. Check the interview below. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.