LeBron James is seen in tears on the tarmac at LAX after learning on board LA Lakers flight that his friend Kobe Bryant, 41, died in a helicopter crash that also killed the NBA legend’s 13-year-old daughter and seven others

LeBron James wept on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday after the LA Lakers learned on a flight home that their former teammate Kobe Bryant had died in a helicopter crash at the age of 41.

The Lakers were returning from a road game in Philadelphia when they received word of the NBA legend’s death and the grieving players were visibly shocked and upset when they landed at LAX. Coach Frank Vogel had addressed his players in mid-air after the news of Bryant’s death – less than four years after the end of his glittering 20-year Lakers career – began to filter through.

In a poignant coincidence, James had exchanged emotional tributes with Bryant less than 24 hours earlier after passing his NBA points tally during the game in Philadelphia on Saturday.

LeBron, 35, moved into third place in the NBA all-time rankings after beating Bryant’s total of 33,643, and hailed the older man as an ‘inspiration’ in a warm tribute.

Bryant praised LeBron in response for ‘continuing to take the game forward’, signing off with the words ‘much respect my brother’ in what proved to be his last tweet.

After learning of Bryant’s death yesterday, an emotional LeBron hugged a woman on the LAX tarmac and rested his head on another man’s shoulder before walking off to wipe away his tears.

Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed when their helicopter came down in thick fog near Los Angeles on Sunday morning, sparking an outpouring of tributes. LA Lakers teammates can be seen in tears after learning about the death of Kobe Bryant. One person could be seen resting their head on a parked vehicle