One of Kobe Bryant’s Fellow Victims Was ‘RHOC’ Star Shannon Beador’s Kids’ Basketball Coach
Gone too soon. Real Housewives of Orange County star Shannon Beador paid tribute to her children’s basketball coach Christina Mauser — who died alongside Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna after his helicopter crashed on Sunday, January 26. “Christina Mauser. An incredible coach and amazing influence on all three of my daughters that played basketball in middle school,” the 55-year-old reality star captioned a photo of Christina with some of the team on Instagram. “And [the] amazing mother of three children. Our greatest sympathies go out to @sinatrabigband and his family. The Beador girls are devastated. Sending our prayers to the Mauser family.”
Of course, Beador’s followers immediately took the comments section to share their condolences. One person wrote, “So tragic. Praying your girls find peace during this difficult time,” while another echoed, “So devastating!” A third person chimed in, writing, “Praying for all who are grieving! Family, friends and fans!”
Beador — who shares Sophie, 17, and twins Stella and Adelina, both 15, with her ex-husband, David Beador — also posted a photo of Bryant with his 13-year-old daughter. “An amazing duo. She was an incredible basketball player, and it was a privilege to watch her father coach her. My girls and our community are heartbroken,” she captioned a snap of the basketball star with his little girl.
In addition to Mauser — who was an assistant coach of Kobe’s Mama Academy girls’ basketball team — Bryant and his daughter Gianna, pilot Ara Zobayan, Sarah Chester, and her daughter, Payton Chester, college baseball coach John Altobelli, his wife, Keri Altobelli, and their 13-year-old daughter, Alyssa — who played on Gianna’s team — were among the other victims of the crash, the L.A. Times reported.
According to TMZ, a fire broke out, and emergency services rushed to the aircraft, but the passengers were already found dead. The nine passengers were reportedly on their way to Mamba Academy, which Kobe founded, in Thousand Oaks before the tragic accident.
One day later, Mauser’s husband, Matt Mauser, spoke out about his “beautiful, smart, funny” wife on the Today show. “It’s horrible. It’s horrible. I’ve got three small kids, and I’m trying to figure out how to navigate life with three kids and no mom,” he explained to Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie.
Matt also revealed that his wife taught at a school in Southern California that Bryant’s daughters attended. “Kobe took these kids from private school and just made them gritty and tough,” he recalled. “He was dedicated and so was my wife. They were dedicated to these girls. He saw what an amazing mind she had for basketball. They called her the ‘Mother of Defense.’ MOD. It was a family. They all really cared about each other.”
We are thinking of everyone during this tough time.
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