Husband of coach killed in crash alongside Kobe Bryant reflects on 4 years since helicopter disaster

Wednesday, January 24, 2024
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Friday will mark four years since Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas.

At the time of the disaster, the nine people on board were headed to a basketball game at Kobe's Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park, where the Lakers legend was scheduled to coach Gianna's team.

Christina Mauser, a mother of three, was an assistant basketball coach at the academy.

In an interview with ABC7 on Wednesday, Matt Mauser, the husband of Christina Mauser, one of the people who lost their lives in the crash, talked about life since the incident and how his family is honoring the memory of his late wife.

"As we come up to the anniversary of the crash, it's always a little more challenging, for me, the kids, it's always pretty hard," Mauser said.

"We've got a big gala coming up for the Christina Mauser Foundation," he said, adding that the event is tentatively scheduled for June 29 at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach. "So we're going to do a big fundraiser to help girls get scholarships that have a lot of the same qualities that Christina had."

Mauser said his family has good and bad days but that they have learned to cope with their grief.

Copyright © 2024 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.